APPG British Gujarati Scam?

Readers will already know from my previous columns, as well as the excellent coverage by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, that a Labour MP, Gareth Thomas, created a group called APPG British Gujaratis – but against the wishes of the Gujarati community.

Almost every Gujarati, Indian, Hindu and Jain organisation wrote to Gareth informing him that they had not been consulted and that this new group formed was unwanted. They specifically told him that creating one for Gujaratis was divisive to the whole of the Indian diaspora. Yet the wishes of the very people he was meant to represent were ignored because it seems this new entity was for his own gratification.

 Recently he and the APPG British Gujaratis have been making some noise about flights to India.  Let me remind readers, over the past few decades when any such issue ever came up, it was Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar, the NCGO (UK), HFB, HCUK and other leading organisations that came together to put forward the needs of the community. All of this has been done successfully and without the need for a divisive APPG that Gareth has created.

I am told that someone representing a non-existent airline in the UK is part of this enterprise. Maybe their interest is self-promotion to show their other directors how influential they are, or maybe they think they can pressurise the British and Indian airport authorities to give them licences to further their airline business?  Who knowswhat motivates some of these people, but what is certainly true is that none of them care one jot for Gujaratis.  If they did, they would have listened to us.

This same APPG is hidden behind many secrets. I have asked many questions, butno answersso far. When people run away from answering legitimate questions, one is left wondering what more they might have to hide.

No doubt they will next try and hijack education by demanding GCSE classes for everyone in Gujarati. The fact that the vast majority of Gujaratis don’t pursue it in schools is lost to these charlatans. I am told that this nonsense will be created because a few people who run Gujarati classes can then secure more money from local and national government. Just imagine, we have got a few people running Gujarati classes who are willing to sacrifice the integrity of the Gujarati community, just so they can get their hands on a bit more money.

 What next? Given the utter madness of these Labour MPs I should not be too surprised if in the very near future they create an APPG for Punjabis. I wonder what demands they will make for them.  Khalistan state?

 I spoke to Shri Vimalji Odedra, President of the NCGO (UK) who said, ‘I am very concerned with the way in which the APPG British Gujaratis are misrepresenting themselves. They do not represent Gujaratis. It's a creation of Labour MP Gareth Thomas against the wishes of the community. It's a tool to divide the Indian diaspora and we at the NCGO (UK) will never accept any entity that undermines our community. I am shocked they are now trying to hijack issues that we at the NCGO (UK) have led and successfully for many year, e.g. direct flights to Gujarat. This affront to our community must cease immediately’.

For your information, the following organisations had formally rejected this unwanted APPG: