Over the past few months, I have been having some very interesting conversations with many insiders in Labour. There are many issues arising, and these I will reflect on and cover in Kapil’s Khichadi in due course.
For now, it seems the Labour leader Keir Starmer has a master plan to turn the House of Lords into the House of Labour. If he is elected, it seems he has a plan to quickly appointed Labour supporters to the House of Lords. A list with more than 100 names, yes you read that correctly, has been prepared and he intends to appoint them to the House of Lords and take control of the second chamber.
Politically there is nothing wrong with this of course. Afterall, in politics if you win, it’s up to you to make sure that all decks are staked in your favour. By controlling the House of Lords, he ensures no matter what absurd legislation Labour come up with, they can push it through both the primary (House of Commons) and the secondary (House of Lords) chambers.
I have also noticed that during this same time period there has been a sudden increase in traffic to Hindu Mandirs and community centres by Labour politicians. Quite astonishing given that almost everything Labour has done over the past 20 years has been anti-Hindu and anti-India. Recently we have seen a parade of Labour MPs visiting some of our high profile Mandirs. As is our tradition, we will of course welcome everyone with open arms and give due respect. Our greatest strength is our openness for the whole of humanity. And that very often becomes one of our weaknesses because those who wish us harm, those who incite hatred, those who undermine the very fabric of our faith and culture, tend to get away with their clandestine bigotry.
Let’s return to peerages. It seems the Labour leader has reserved some ten peerages for people from our community. It now makes sense as to why suddenly some Hindus and Indians are falling over themselves in trying to catch the attention of Starmer. They are all lining up to become that person who can deliver votes and publicity for Starmer and make him more acceptable. I wonder if you can guess who these individuals might be?
There is a mistaken view in our community that we have to bend our knee to the whims of politicians, just in case they get into power. There are those in our community who will sell us short, mostly because they want an honour, or a peerage, or something else. Contrast this with the Jewish and Muslim community. They will never compromise.
They have always been tough and blunt. When the Jewish community took on Labour and called out the antisemitism that was rampant in the party, they did so with unity of purpose. They brought Labour to its knees and now they command respect.
I take my hat off to the Muslim community as well. They have put the fear of God into Labour to such an extent, that even today Keir is forced to keep many Muslim MPs on his front bench or end up being on the wrong side of their wrath. For example, Shabana Mahmood, Rosena Allin-Khan, Imran Hussain, Naz Shah, Lord (Wajid) Khan, Afzal Khan, Tulip Siddiq, and Yasmin Qureshi are all given prominent positions. Yet as far as I know, none of them have ever publicly denounced the anti-Hindu and anti-India hatred that we witness so often. Be that the attacks on the Indian High Commission, to the attacks on our Mandirs.
Did you know that at the recent India Global Forum event in London, Starmer was given a prime position. Whilst he spoke about India, not once did he refer to PM Modi and his government for all the developments and successes. It was almost as if he did not want to offend his Pakistani vote bank. The Labour Party of 2014 that orchestrated the visa ban on Modiji, still cannot apologise for their indiscretions of past or present.
The master plan to control the House of Lords is great. As is his capacity to grant peerages to those from our community who bend their knee. In time, who these people are will become clearer. I am sure I am not on the list!
