UK, India need each other now more than ever: Boris Johnson
New Delhi (PTI): Ties between the United Kingdom and India will remain on a "phenomenal upward trajectory" under Indian-origin UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, that country's former premier Boris Johnson said on Saturday.
The two countries need each other now more than ever as "we live in dangerous and turbulent times", he said.
Johnson also called on the two countries to finalise a free trade agreement, saying he could not wait till next Diwali for it.
"No mission that I have led has been as successful as the one in April this year when I arrived in Gujarat and was greeted like Sachin Tendulkar. There were pictures of me everywhere and literally thousands of people dancing on the streets," Johnson said in his address at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.
Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he had discussed the future of India-UK partnership during his India visit, Johnson said they had "fantastic talks" and there have been results.
"India has become the number one supplier of overseas students to the UK. There are 1,08,000 Indian students in the UK to support our education industry," he said.
The former British prime minister pointed out that even without a free trade agreement, the two countries have seen bilateral trade go up by 28 per cent.
"Let us finally deliver that free trade agreement which mysteriously seems to have developed a flat tyre since I left office. Prime Minister Modi and I said it will be done by Diwali. I'm not going to wait till the next Diwali before we do that free trade deal. I wonder what the holdup is," Johnson said.
"The government that I was proud to lead boasted more ministers who could trace their origins to India than any other government in the world. The crowning achievement of my approach is that my replacement himself is of Indian-origin," he said.
Last month, Rishi Sunak was installed as Britain's first Indian-origin prime minister after the brief tenure of Liz Truss, who had taken over after Johnson quit as the prime minister.
"I know that under Rishi, this relationship, so strong and so dynamic, is going to follow the same phenomenal upward trajectory. We need each other now more than ever because, as PM Modi and his external affairs minister S Jaishankar had said, we live in dangerous and turbulent times," Johnson said.
The former British prime minister also slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for a "vile and unprovoked invasion" of Ukraine.
"Even if the UK and India were not drawn together by ties of love, sentiments, family, by trade, commerce if we were not tied together by economic self interest, we would be drawn together for this fervor and vital reason that we two democracies are forced to cope together with the irresponsible and sometimes dangerous behaviour of the world's coercive autocracies," he added.
Hitting out at Putin, Johnson made three predictions. "Putin will lose and deservedly so Putin will be beaten by simple heroism of love and country by the people of Ukraine," he said.
Asserting that the conflict was a "disastrous advertisement" for Putin's "war machine", he said Russia's exports of military equipment will be badly affected.
This disastrous miscalculation by Putin will severely weaken Russia and greatly strengthen China, he predicted.
"The bear is looking increasingly forlorn and pushed around by a giant, assertive Kung Fu Panda," he said.
The former British prime minister also hailed the India-UK collaboration in providing vaccines against Covid to the world and compared the successful handling of the pandemic in democracies like the UK and India to that of "autocracies" such as China.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
