Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Gender Equality Manu Sareen, born in India but raised in Denmark, says in an interview with the Times of India (TOI) that he often feels he's representing both countries.
He claims to be ‘enormously proud’ of his Indian heritage and often feels like an ambassador for India in Denmark. The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) foreign affairs spokesman, Søren Espersen, said he fully understands Mr Sareen’s pride in his Indian roots but he would be tabling a question to Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt asking why one of her ministers is representing a foreign power.
Mr Sareen dismissed the criticism as ‘typical DPP’ and said his relationship with India has been taken out of context and he had never claimed to represent his country of birth as a minister.
Denmark's relationship with India is strained right now after the Supreme Court's ruling that halted the deportation of arms dealer Niels Holck.