For me it was a dream come true when two young Gujarati candidates, Resham Kotecha and Ameet Jogia were selected by the Conservative Party to stand for Parliament in two winnable seats in the upcoming General Election.
I have spent my entire political career trying to bridge the gap between the Conservative Party and the British Indian community, so this selection symbolises just how far we have come.
We have already come along way with two Gujarati Conservative MP’s the Rt Hon Priti Patel and Shailesh Vara; both of whom have served high profile Government posts. However, the selection of Resham and Ameet is special because it marks the start of a new generation of British born Indians coming into politics.
Having been born and bought up in London, Resham and Ameet have had the benefits of opportunities, such as a good education which previous generations like myself did not have. However, they also have to face new challenges which my generation were not accustomed to. Resham and Ameet are therefore best placed to engage with the British electorate, as well as a range of other communities.
I have always said that the British Indian community is the model community for the Conservative Party.
We are a naturally conservative community whose success as a community is down to the values of hard work, aspiration, enterprise and strong families. These are the fundamental values of the Conservative Party.
The British Indian community are disillusioned with the Labour Party more than ever – particularly with Jeremy Corbyn as their leader. He has not made a single attempt to engage with our community. Theresa May on the other hand, is carrying forward David Cameron’s legacy of continuing to engage with our community. The selection of Resham and Ameet is part of this strategy, showing that the Party is serious about ensuring our community is at the forefront of their agenda.
Resham is one of twin sisters, whose parents came to the UK to study from East Africa. She read Economics at Cambridge University before starting work as a strategy consultant advising both public and private sector organisations.
Resham previously stood as a Parliamentary Candidate during the 2015 General Election in Dulwich and West Norwood. She is Deputy Chair of the Northwood Conservatives and Head of Engagement for Women2Win, as organisation co-founded by Prime Minister Theresa May, to encourage more Conservative women to enter Parliament.
Resham has spoken and written regularly in the media about the importance of getting more Asians, young people, and women involved in politics. She is President of the under 35’s board of the Young Women’s India Association, the oldest Asian charity in the UK, and was a finalist for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards.
I have no doubt that she will be working hard over the next five weeks to overturn Geoffrey Robinson’s majority and win the Coventry North West seat for the Conservatives – the first time since its creation in 1974.
Ameet Jogia on the other hand is also a rising star within the Conservative Party. He is someone I am very close to and many in the community will know that he has been my Parliamentary Assistant for the last six years.
Within that time I have been honoured to see him rise up the ranks within the Conservative Party. His family originated from Mwanza in Tanzania, and despite having faced struggles growing up, he has been active with the Party since the age of 15 having been elected as a Councillor in Harrow in 2014 with an overwhelming majority. Ameet has a tremendous amount of respect within the British Indian community, particularly in North West London who I know are all behind him.
Brent North has had 20 years of Barry Gardiner. I think it is time for change in Brent, with a fresh face and new ideas. Ameet is that change, and I have no doubt he has the energy and dynamism to make a real difference in Brent.
I hope that the British Indian community will recognise the historic strides that our community are making within the Conservative Party and in politics overall. With the Tories ahead in the polls, I hope that Theresa May’s candidates Resham Kotecha and Ameet Jogia will both do well in the upcoming elections.
