- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
BORIS Johnson has a close connection with India, thanks to his now-estranged wife Marina Wheeler.
Wheeler is the daughter of journalist Sir Charles Wheeler and Dip Singh. Before marrying Sir Charles, Dip was married to renowned writer late Khushwant Singh’s younger brother, Daljit Singh.
Johnson and Wheeler were married for more than two decades and they often travelled to India to visit her extended family. He often referred to them as “my Indian relatives.”
However, in 2017 he got into trouble for talking about bringing whiskey for his Indian relatives.
Johnson delivered the anecdote at a Sikh gurdwara, despite alcohol being forbidden in the Sikh faith.
With a saffron turban on his head, Johnson said: “Whenever we go to India, to Mumbai or to Delhi, we have to bring ‘clinkie’ in our baggage.
“We have to bring Johnnie Walker, we have to bring whiskey because as you may know there is duty of 150 per cent in India on imports of Scotch whiskey, so we have to bring it in duty free for our relatives. But imagine what we could do if there was a free trade deal with India – which there will be.”
A woman devotee reportedly angrily told Johnson: “How dare you talk about alcohol in a Sikh temple.”
Johnson had spelled out his plans for India in an open letter addressed to the Indian diaspora earlier this month. Calling himself the “son-in-law” of India, the 55-year-old spoke about his special connect with the country.
Elaborating about his plans for the country, Johnson said: “When I was with Prime Minister Modi, I stressed that the UK and India are two modern democracies who should work closely together to promote trade and prosperity, improve global security and tackle the challenges our countries face.”
