The Conservative Friends of India held their annual Diwali reception last week at Taj, with former Prime Minister Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP as the Chief Guest. The reception was Rishi’s final engagement as Leader of the Conservative Party.
Special guests included the High Commissioner of India, His Excellency Vikram Doraswami, Lord Dolar Popat, Bob Blackman MP among others.
Co-Chair, Reena Ranger commented on the significance of Diwali, which ironically marked Rishi’s first and last day in office as the party leader.
“We have celebrated the last few Diwalis with the most extraordinary of events. One year we watched in a pandemic the then Chancellor of the Exchequer lighting diyas outside his home - which happened to be on the most famous street in this country. We thought history had been made.
But Rishi shines bright - and the next Diwali, we saw history being made once again when the first British Indian prime minister took up office at number 10 Downing Street.”
Ameet Jogia – also Rishi’s Political Adviser – paid tribute to Rishi’s legacy. He joked about being constantly compared as Rishi’s lookalike!
Ameet referenced his time working together with Rishi, “during our time together, I have witnessed a man work dayand night for the British people. From the break of dawn, to late into the evening, Rishi has spent every minute of every day working to serve our great country and mankind.”
Rishi – a proud member of Conservative Friends of India – paid tribute to the grassroot Party organisation and the role it plays within the Conservative Party. CF India is now the largest affiliate group within the Party and has made great strides in recent years with significant electoral gains in key British Indian battleground seats in Harrow, Slough and Leicester.
Speaking at the reception, Rishi said, “Conservative Friends of India has a very special place in my heart. Throughout my time, as Prime Minister and Leader of our party, CF India has been a force to be reckoned with…especially in strengthening relations between the UK and India.”
“CF India has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. This is testament to the leadership of your driven Co-Chairs Reena Ranger and Ameet Jogia who have made CF India a campaigning machine for our Party. CF India has made an incredible contribution to our Party. Thanks to you, the share of the British Indian vote has gone up year on year since 2019.”
Thanking for all the support and blessings he has received so far, he added, “It will always be one of the greatest honours of my life to light those Diwali diyas and at Downing Street and that isn't just an achievement for our community, but for our great country as well, proof that we are the world's most successful multi faith democracy.
“I would not be standing here today without the love, the support, the prayers of everyone in this room, I am so proud to have had the honour of representing you, and I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me. You will always have a friend and supporter in me.”
H.E. Vikram Doraiswami speaking at the event said, “Most of all for the success that Rishi Sunak represents for both countries in combining the values of India and United Kingdom and showing to the world what democracies mean when they say anything is possible and everybody has a chance. Rishi Sunak stands for that.”
During the reception, Rishi took the opportunity to meet each and every guest and take a photo with them.
Rishi later went on to celebrate Diwali in Leicester, visiting the Shree Ram Mandir with new Leicester MP, Shivani Raja.
