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In his first direct reference to "Hinduphobia," Keir Starmer, Britain's Opposition Labour Party leader, expressed solidarity with the Indian community and committed himself to fight hate crimes and "divisive politics" in the country.
This comes in the backdrop of communal clashes in Leicester and Birmingham following a cricket match between India and Pakistan, which, as per several diaspora organisations, reflected "Hinduphobia" or hate crimes targeted against Hindus, sparked by misinformation on social media.
"Hinduphobia has absolutely no place in our society anywhere and we must all fight this together," the Labour leader said amid loud cheers from the crowd.
Starmer also slammed the far-right for trying to "exploit grievances," and promoted inclusivity by saying that all religions, places, and symbols of worship must be respected.
"I'm particularly honoured to join you on Vijayadashami celebrations. The fires that burn effigies of Ravana all over the world serve as a reminder of our need to extinguish the evil that’s facing our society the need to defeat poverty, injustice, hate and to attack our own shadows and bad habits," Starmer added, as per PTI.
Further, he thanked the Hindu community for their contributions to the country and said that they are and will always remain an integral part of Britain.
Starmer's comments come in an alleged move to pander to the Indian, and more prominently the Hindu diaspora in Britain to reverse his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn's stance, which was considered to be less friendly towards India.
In September 2019, the Labour Party had passed an emergency motion on J&K, seeking international observers to "enter" the region and demand the right of self-determination for Kashmiris.
The move, which came days after the Indian government revoked the special status of J&K through the revocation of Article 370, drew flak from several prominent representatives of the Indian community, who described the motion as being "ill-conceived" and "misinformed."
The signatories included members of the Indian Professionals Forum (IPF), Indian National Students Association (INSA), Hindu Council UK and various temple bodies.
What further explains Labour's change of stance is the fact that Indians make up the largest diaspora community in the UK, and are electorally significant in dozens of constituencies, especially swing seats.
A survey called 'Britain’s New Swing Voters? A Survey of British Indian Attitudes', released in November last year, stated that while most British-Indians traditionally identify with the Labour Party, data suggested that they had become less left-leaning in recent years.
The vocal opinions of Corbyn since 2015 are sure to have influenced Indians in this regard.
His comments are also seen as an effort to capitalise on the recent surge in support for the Labour Party amid declining popularity of the Liz Truss-led Tory government over the ongoing economic turmoil and unpopular financial decisions taken by the Cabinet.
Addressing the Indian community on Wednesday, Starmer took aim at the Conservatives for the alleged economic mismanagement, and said that Labour would form a government after "12 long years" on behalf of the people.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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