Congress on Tuesday rebuffed its leaders P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor over their remarks on Rishi Sunak becoming Prime Minister suggesting that India could learn a lesson from Britain for choosing from minorities to the top, which were targeted by the BJP too.
Leaders from both sides locked horns over the issue with the BJP pointing out that India has had three Muslim and one Sikh President besides a Sikh Prime Minister and minorities in top judicial positions and the armed forces.
Welcoming Sunak's election as British Prime Minister, Chidambaram tweeted, "First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government...I think there is a lesson to be learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism."
Tharoor said, "if this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that the Brits have done something very rare in the world, to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here?"
Both Chidambaram and Tharoor were rebuffed by their own party with General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh saying India does not need to draw lessons from any other country as many minorities have become the president and chief minister in the past.
"In our country, Dr Zakir Hussain first became the President in 1967, then Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the President and Dr Abdul Kalam and if I keep giving you examples, Barkatullah Khan became chief minister and A R Antulay also became the chief minister," he told reporters.
"You should ask them. I am only talking about Bharat Jodo Yatra and I would not speak about what other leaders have said. You should ask them on what they have said, I will not speak on any other leader's remarks," he said when asked about the party leaders' remarks.
At the same time, Ramesh said there is a difference between A B Vajpayee's time and Narendra Modi's times. Kalam became president during Vajpayee's time.
He said Vajpayee was a product of Nehru's time and the late BJP leader was influenced by Nehruvian thought. ""But, Narendra Modi is busy only in one thing -- of how to erase the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru," Ramesh added.
PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said it was a proud moment that Indian-origin Sunak was elected as the UK's prime minister but it should also serve as a reminder that Britain has accepted an ethnic minority member as its premier but "we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC and CAA."
Rejecting any parallel between its leaders' opposition to prime ministership for Sonia Gandhi, who is of Italian origin, BJP's foreign affairs department head Vijay Chauthaiwale tweeted, "can't differentiate between Italy-born Sonia (who refused to take Indian citizenship for several decades after marriage with Rajiv) and UK-born Rishi with Indian ancestry."
Taking a swipe at Mehbooba, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked her to answer if she will accept a minority as Jammu and Kashmir's chief minister. "It is tragic that some Indian politicians are unfortunately trying to make a political brownie point on this occasion," he said.