Last week I wrote about ‘Hindus for Labour’ (HfL), a group led by Dr Neeraj Patil to champion Hindu cause in Labour. How wrong was I to expect that there would be anything different in this group, to what we found in ‘Labour Friends of India’.
For their event of 29th September, speakers included as it turns out, a Farooq Abdullah. Yes, that same anti-India politician who turned a blind eye when Pakistani sponsored terrorists committed genocide on Kashmiri Pandits in 1991.
Dr Patil’s group put forward a proposal that states: ‘The Labour Party stands for international peace and justice and we want peace in Kashmir. One of the proposals we are recommending is converting the current LoC into a soft international border with free movement of people, goods and services similar to what we have in Northern Ireland and greater autonomy for the whole region of Kashmir’. It seems some Hindus are either just plain stupid or seem to think they can fool the Hindu voter. Regardless of who or what they are, they are a danger to the community.
It was encouraging to note that both Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) and Hindu Council UK (HCUK) turned down the invite to the event. What transpired showed their decision to be right in protecting the interest of all Hindus.
Trupti Patel, President of HFB said, ‘We were not satisfied that HfL appreciated the seriousness of Labour transgressions against Hindus. Given Labour has no intention of apologising for their shameful behaviour, it’s not possible to engage when all trust has broken down’.
She was ably supported by Rajnish Kasyap, Secretary General HCUK who said, ‘The Hindu community was let down by Labour when anti-India rhetoric was orchestrated by Labour MPs in Parliament. Particularly, Ms Naz Shah who took pleasure in calling the PM of the largest democracy, a butcher. Labour has collectively disrespected a billion Indians who elected Mr. Modi twice through democratic means. Mr. Keir should have denounced his MPs for such contemptible lies’.
As it turns out, Pt Satish Sharmaji was at the HfL event. He told the audience why the Hindu community were leaving Labour. He commented, ‘Nowhere in any country are Hindus seen as a toxic minority. As a community Hindus are civilisation builders. However, in 2013 we Hindus faced an assault driven by malice from the Parliamentary Labour Party. What was an extraordinary shock to us was that we were denied the opportunity to even engage in dialogue? To this day we have no explanation as to why we were treated in this manner’.
Steve Reed, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government responded to Pt Satish Sharmaji and said, ‘some of the motions passed at Labour conference were unhelpful. Given our colonial history, to interfere in the politics of India, absolutely that is not appropriate’.
I have a message for Patil, Reed and co, the whole of Jammu and Kashmir has always been part of India, and this was reaffirmed on 26 October 1947 by way of the same Instrument of Accession that was used by all other states. Pakistan breached international law by attacking and occupying part of Indian Kashmir. Even the UN resolution states that the very first mandatory step BEFORE anything else can happen is for Pakistan to get out of occupied Kashmir. What HfL should be doing is telling their party to call out the Pakistani cross-border terrorism, and to withdraw to the 1947 boundary immediately.
I hope for the sake of ‘Hindus for Labour’, that it does not become known as ‘Labour Hindus for Pakistan’.
