UK caused poverty in India: Russia

Coming down heavily upon Churchill and his policy that led to the Bengal famine, the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Churchill not only had low opinion on Indians, his inhuman policies had even led to the worst famine in the continent which claimed thousands of lives.

New Delhi, Jan 16: Although historians and economists have long been saying that the British looted immense wealth from India and prospered, it is for the first time that a nation has stood for this. Russia's Foreign Ministry endorsed the fact that the UK caused real damage to the people of India. Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian who had come up with this explanation during the colonial era.

Now, Russia has also supported the claim and accused the UK for the loot and crimes committed through colonial policies that caused millions of deaths in India over their 200 years of rule. The Russian Ministry also asserted that more than 100 million Indian people "fell victim" to London's draconian policies.

The British imposed such rules during its peak from 1880 to 1920 that brought only misery and suffering to the Indian population, it added.

Russia calls out UK's 'racism'

In a note, the Russian Ministry also called out the British racism against Indians. It further pointed out that while the British siphoned out India's wealth during colonial rule, Moscow always stood with the country and remained a steadfast ally. The note also calls out the racist statement from then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Not just that Churchill had low opinion on Indians he had led to the worst famine in the Indian continent. Russia came heavily upon Churchill and his policy that led to the Bengal famine where thousands died. The Russian MFA quoted Churchill's letter that said that he hated Indians as for him they were "beastly people with a beastly religion."

Churchill caused death and destruction in India

Moreover, the Russian Ministry also accused Churchill for causing a "humanitarian catastrophe" in India as he ordered grain to be shipped out of India to cover the needs of the UK. This was nothing but a genocide of sorts where thousands of Indians died due to shortage of food.

What Russia is claiming about the Great Bengal Famine has also been corroborated by many independent studies. The 1943 Bengal famine, according to IIT-Gandhinagar scientists who have analysed 150 years of drought data, was not due to drought but due to British policy.

The IIT study shows that policy lapses were the major reasons behind the famine. For instance, Churchill preferred the military, civil services and others for the supplies of food grains, the ordinary people were left without food for months. The note summed up by saying that the British empire siphoned out £9.2 trillion, i.e. $45 trillion, of wealth from India during their rule.