The Labour Party now appears to be in a damage control mode as the UK heads for a general election on December 12. In a recent letter issued by Ian Larvey, the Chair of Labour Party has clarified that the Party “will not adopt any anti-India or anti-Pakistan position over Kashmir”.
This letter follows widespread social and print media campaigns run across the country where more than 100 British Indian faith-based, religious, and community organisations stood united in the face of the motion passed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In recent times, WhatsApp messages were also circulated in the Hindu diaspora wherein keyboard warriors urged British Hindus to vote against Labour accusing the Party of being “anti-India” and “anti-Hindu”. Some reports also indicate that the Labour Party stands at the risk of being isolated from both the Indian and Jewish communities in the UK.
In a similar front last week, Labour's “anti-semitic” image was also contradicted by The Jewish Chronicle. The paper called upon non-Jews to support them in their fight against anti-Semitism, especially from within the Labour Party.
“Sadly, the Labour Party has become anti-Semitic and anti-India under the current Labour Leader, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn. By dividing our nation with such divisive politics will not only damage our social cohesion but also prove a huge setback to our fragile race relation. How would we like it if India started to interfere in our internal affairs with regards to Northern Ireland and Scotland?” asked Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Co-Chairman, The Conservative Friends of India.
Labour has now distanced itself from the conference motion after criticism from a major Hindu charity. Earlier, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour's candidate in Slough, urged people of Hindu and Sikh faith not to "fall for the divisive tactics of religious hardliners, trying to wedge apart our cohesive community, circulating lies on WhatsApp".
Official figures suggest that there are more than a million Hindus in comparison to more than three million Muslims here in the UK. According to research published by the Runnymede Trust in 2015 and 2017, Labour remained the most popular party among ethnic minority voters (77% of them voted Labour in 2017).
When a political party seeks to harm UK-Indian relations; when it proclaims that India does not protect human rights; when it turns a blind eye to terrorism against India in Kashmir which is the greatest threat to human rights; and when it portrays Kashmir as ‘Palestine’ - then we are also compelled to take a stand and stop the danger to British Indians from this ill-informed and partisan attitude.
“To be clear, we believe the Labour Party is showing signs of being captured by an extreme minority, inadvertently supported by an ignorant majority, keen to shore up their vote base and willing to sacrifice their traditional support from British Indians. This is not good for Britain or the health of our democracy,” said Lord Jitesh Gadhia.
Now, the Chair of Labour Party in his letter has opposed external interference in the political affairs of any other country” stating that “Kashmir is a matter for India and Pakistan to resolve together by means of a peaceful solution which protects the human rights of the Kashmiri people and respects their right to have a say in their own future".
Earlier last week, a UK support group for the BJP, said it was campaigning for Tories in the 48 marginal seats. Oversees Friends of the BJP (OFBJP) claims that an estimated 900,000 Hindu and Sikh voters of British-Indian origin could play a decisive role in as many as 40 constituencies.
Among the marginal seats that OFBJP activists will canvas for is Harrow East, where Bob Blackman, the Tory candidate, has a majority of 1,757.
“We are planning a lot of stuff in that area — my team and other community leaders,” said Kuldeep Shekhawat, the group’s president.
According to Sunder Katwala, the director of British Future, a think tank specialising in integration and migration, one in five first-time voters in next month’s election will come from an ethnic minority, emphasising the need for political parties to broaden their appeal. As the British politics appears to be divided over religious vote and at a time when places of worship have become implicit campgrounds for British politics, Labour appears to be re-thinking its strategy towards the Indian vote.
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In the meantime, The Guardian, recently published an article titled “British Indians warn Hindu nationalist party not to meddle in UK elections”. The journalist reportedly visited Harrow East, Leicester and Blackwell. But according to the publication, none of those the Guardian spoke to said they would cast their vote based on UK policy towards India and all rejected BJP interference.
“They don’t have to interfere in the politics here,” said Suresh Morjaria, a 67-year-old shopkeeper. “They can do what they want in India. I am happy for them to do what they want with [Indian prime minister Narendra] Modi, but this is a different country.”
“It’s wrong,” said 34-year-old hairdresser Kamlesh Nayee. He shook his head when it was suggested the BJP were angry over Labour’s stance on the disputed territory of Kashmir. “Labour is good,” he said. “I got my [British] passport under Labour. They helped me, they understand.”
