Cross party members celebrate Diwali in House of Commons

A Diwali reception with a cross-party representation was organised in the State Rooms of the Speaker’s House, House of Commons on Monday 17 October. The event was hosted by MPs such as Navendu Mishra, Shailesh Vara, Virendra Sharma and Lord Dholakia and was attended by a number of Parliamentarians, diplomats and business leaders along with members of the Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities from across the country.
The event was started by lighting diyas and prayers for world peace were recited by a team from the Hare Krishna Temple.
Chief Guest Sir Lindsay Hoyle said, “It’s my pleasure to welcome you all. A very happy Diwali to you all. I would like to wish all communities celebrating Diwali peace and joy across the world. This festival of lights may bring joy and happiness to our life. I also want to congratulate you all on the 75th Independence Day of India.”
Mr Mishra added, “This is a cross-party event. The British Indian community is an important part and makes a positive contribution to our Nation. A parliamentarian quoted a recent figure to say that British Indians make up around 2 per cent of the population, however, they contribute almost 8 per cent of the GDP. I think most would agree that this is an impressive figure. Diwali is the festival of light; it stands for the victory of light over dark.”
He also referenced the free trade agreement (FTA) with India and said that as parliamentarians from different sides of the political spectrum, the event reflects their hope to be able to make a positive contribution to the bilateral relationship.
Leader of the Labour party Sir Keir Starmer said, “I want to wish Happy Diwali to all who are celebrating the festival in the UK, India and around the world.”
Following the reception, Mr Vara said, “Diwali is a message of victory of good over evil, light over darkness and this message is very important across the world. There are Indian people in all four corners of the world and therefore Diwali is celebrated and the message of Diwali is spread to the entire world. When we are seeing the conflicts in our country and continent let’s hope that Diwali will bring the brightness of joy and show the direction towards victory.”
Lord Dholakia added, “I was in India last week and I saw thousands and thousands of people doing Raas Garba. The joy, fun and belief in their religion were remarkable. All the celebrations bring all of us together.”
Mr Sharma said, “Happy Diwali to all of you. Diwali event is the most important part of the calendar of the house of commons. Diwali is for conveying the message and the values we inherited from our forefathers. The message from the Ramayana is peace, prosperity, unity and equality. This message will spread throughout the world.”
The diplomatic presence at the Diwali celebration included Deputy High Commissioner of India to the UK Sujit Ghosh, First Secretary Saravjeet Soodan, Ugandan High Commissioner Nimisha Madhvani and Ambassador of Nepal Gyan Chandra Acharya.
Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Bob Blackman MP, Krupesh Hirani AM, Cllr Vimal Chauksi, Prof. Manoj Ladwa, Bhaktivedanta Manor ISKCON Temple President Visakha Dasi, Ashok Kumar Chauhan MBE, Sgt. Shiv Chand, SBI CEO Sudhir Sharma, SBI Regional Head Sharad Chandak we’re also among those who attended the Diwali do.