British politician Rishi Sunak, facing criticism over wife Akshata Murthy's stake in Infosys that continues to operate in Russia, has drawn a parallel with actor Will Smith, saying that while both their wives were attacked, "at least I didn't get up and slap anybody which is good".
Akshata Murthy is the daughter of Infosys founder, N R Narayana Murthy, and holds a 0.91 per cent stake in Infosys. In recent weeks, she has been accused of receiving "blood money" in dividends as Infosys has not pulled out of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
Several tech firms and business conglomerates have suspended their operations in Russia amid mounting pressure in the wake of Moscow's attack on Ukraine.
In a statement, Infosys has said that it has a small team based out of Russia that services some of its global clients locally. "We do not have any active business relationships with local Russian enterprises. A key priority for Infosys in times of adversity, is to continue extending support to the community. The company has committed USD 1 million towards relief efforts for the victims of war from Ukraine," it has said.
Mr Sunak, currently UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, told the BBC Newscast, "Joe Root, Will Smith and me, not the best of weekends. But on reflection, both Will Smith and me, having our wives attacked, at least I didn't get up and slap anybody, which is good."
Asked if he felt like it, the British Indian politician replied that he understands that what people are going through is tough. "People being critical, be it the media, that doesn't make it tough on me. The first months, the first few days, the first few weeks I had this job, that was really, really tough," he said.
"I think it's totally fine for people to take shots at me, it's a fair game. I'm the one sitting here and that's what I signed up for."
However, he added that it's "very upsetting and I think, wrong for people to try and come at my wife, and you know, beyond that actually, with regard to my father-in-law, for whom I have nothing but enormous pride and admiration for everything that he's achieved".
"And no amount of attempted smearing is going to make me change that because he's wonderful and has achieved a huge amount," Mr Sunak added.
Actor Will Smith sparked a huge row during the Oscars ceremony this year when he slapped comic Chris Rock over a joke on his wife and actor Jada Pinkett Smith on stage, shortly before he won the Best Actor award for King Richard.
The on-stage slap has sparked a debate, with many praising Mr Smith for standing up for his wife and others criticising the violence against the comic.
Mr Sunak's reference to Joe Root, captain of the English test cricket team, comes amid mounting pressure on the cricketer to give up the skipper's cap after a string of bad performances by the English team.
