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The wife of the next British Prime Minister is a very wealthy Indian businesswoman

The very wealthy Indian businesswoman Akshata Murthy, wife of the next British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, found herself in the spotlight in April by revealing her family’s lifestyle in the midst of the country’s spending crisis, AFP reports.

Murthy is considered by the UK tax authorities to be a “non-resident” person in the UK and therefore his overseas income is not subject to taxation. This perfectly legal status was a “black spot” at the height of the purchasing power crisis, fueling criticism already leveled at her husband because Sunak showed a serious reluctance to help British families.

After being heavily criticized for the millions of pounds saved in taxes thanks to the status, the wife of the then British Chancellor of the Exchequer immediately announced that her overseas earnings would now be taxed at home. “I do it because I want to, not because the regulations require it,” she stressed.

Rishi Sunak, for his part, condemned the “smear campaign” waged by the Labor opposition. “The denigration of my wife for hitting me is terrible,” he said in an interview with the tabloid Sun during the first major crisis to question his rapid political rise. “My wife was born in India, she grew up there,” he recalled. “It would not be reasonable or fair to ask her to cut ties to her country just because she is married to me,” the Conservative added.

Akshata Murthy, 42, owns nearly $ 1 billion worth of shares in Indian tech giant Infosys. His father Narayana Murthy was one of the founders of the company in 1981, its value today is around $ 100 billion. This means that his fortune is greater than that of the late Queen Elizabeth II (who had about 420 million euros), notes the Sunday Times.

Akshata grew up in Bangalore, with her wealthy father and under the strict upbringing of her mother Sudha Murthy, a famous writer, philanthropist and first female engineer in the Tata Motors automotive group. She forbids Akshata and her brother Rohan from watching TV at home and forces them to go to school by rickshaw like all their classmates.

Rishi’s wife, Sunak, says she and her brother grew up “with strong philanthropic values” and through her volunteer work she has a vision of the challenges women in India face.

In 1998 she went to the United States to study economics. She met her future husband a few years later at prestigious Stanford University in California, where they both enrolled in masters in economics. Rishi Sunak comes from a humble background and receives a scholarship.

Indian society is hierarchical, but Akshata Murthy’s parents accept their marriage. Her father Narayana Murthy approves her daughter’s marriage plan, admitting that Rishi Sunak fits her description in every way: “brilliant, beautiful and above all honest”. About 1,000 guests, including many celebrities, attended their wedding in 2009. They have two daughters: Anushka and Krishna.

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