'Shameful': UK envoy condemns acts of British Raj; supports India's G20 presidency bid

Ahead of India assuming the G20 Presidency on December 1 this year, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis asserted that India is the right country to hold the presidency at the right time. This comes amid the presence of over 40 mission heads and international organisations in Andaman and Nicobar as the island gears up for the G20 curtain raiser. 

'India right country at the right time to hold the G20 Presidency': UK High Commissioner  

Taking to Twitter, the British High Commissioner stated India is the right country to be having the G20 presidency as it is capable of bringing other countries together at this difficult time when the world is facing myriad challenges. He went on to condemn and acknowledge the 'shameful actions of the British raj' after taking the tour of the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. 

"Andaman islands are extraordinary and beautiful. This feels like the right place to launch the G20 presidency which is why I am here. India takes over the G20 presidency at a very difficult time for the world and I think India's scale and diversity and its extraordinary success for example in digital technology means it's the right country at a right time. We have seen some of the shameful acts of the British Raj, I saw in the cellular jail. There are also some sources of knowledge and inspiration in the first foundational text of Britishers and an apology was written by Radcliffe Brown about the Andaman island. Can India crack the mystery and solve the problem for G-20 2023? I hope the UK will be working alongside to do so".

It is pertinent to mention that Cellular Jail also known as Kaala Paani holds a very important relevance in India's freedom struggle as several nationalist heroes like Veer Savarkar, Shiv Verma, Yogendra Shukla & many others were imprisoned by the British.

G20 delegates at Cellular Jail

The international delegates were taken for a tour to Cellular Jail in Port Blair as India aims to commemorate the valour and service of all our unsung freedom fighters. G20's India coordinator, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and G-20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant accompanied the delegates during the tour.

Meanwhile, G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant stated, "We have started our journey from Andamans because there are unsung freedom fighters who were imprisoned in the cellular jail of India. And therefore, we thought it fit that many of our freedom fighters, including Veer Savarkar, who was imprisoned here, should tell the stories to all the foreigners and ambassadors, as well as leading international organisations and all the invitees."

Notably, the meetings of the G20 Presidency are being held in Swaraj Dweep, popularly known as Havelock Island, in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.