He receives a diya (earthen lamp) from the priest who is standing next to the couple as they carry out the rite and ask for the cow's blessing.
Digital Desk: A contestant for the position of British Prime
Minister to succeed Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, was noticed in London engaging
in gau pooja, or cow worship. A video of the Conservative Party leader and his
wife, Akshata Murthy, who is also the daughter of Infosys Founder NR Narayan
Murthy, seeing a cow being readied for the occasion has been making the rounds
on social media.
In the video, Sunak can be seen standing next to his wife and
performing an aarti in front of the cow. The former UK chancellor is first seen
giving the cow holy water from a brass tumbler in his hand. He receives a diya
(earthen lamp) from the priest who is standing next to the couple as they carry
out the rite and ask for the cow's blessing.
The social media video went viral, drawing a lot of interest
from the Hindu community.
The video was released a few days after Sunak celebrated
Janmashtami at the Bhaktivedanta Manor outside of London. He posted pictures of
the festivities on his official Instagram account. In anticipation of the
well-known Hindu festival honouring Lord Krishna's birthday, Janmashtami, he
had written in the post, "Today I went to the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple
with my wife Akshata."
One of the two contenders to succeed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
as Britain's next Prime Minister is the 42-year-old leader who presided over
No. 11 Downing Street and served as the nation's finance minister from February
2020 to July 2022.
Following the resignation of scores of ministers in protest over
a string of scandals and gaffes, Boris Johnson was forced to step down as
leader of the ruling Conservative Party, and the party is now choosing a new
leader. By the end of the month after this one, party members will choose a new
premier.
Sunak got off to a strong start in his campaign to succeed
Johnson as prime minister after his departure sent shockwaves through scores of
colleagues. Polls now indicate that he is trailing in the campaign, with his
handling of the pandemic emerging as his main problem. As a trade minister at
the time, Truss said that she was not involved in making the crucial decisions
and that she would never again allow a shutdown.
The result of the crucial vote to decide the next British Prime
Minister is due on September 5.
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