UK Labour Party accused of 'divisive' politics with poll leaflet featuring PM Modi
London, Jun 29: The UK's Opposition Labour Party was branded divisive and anti-India by Indian diaspora groups after a party leaflet for a by-election in northern England used an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The leaflet, in circulation for the Batley and Spen by-poll in West Yorkshire scheduled for Thursday, shows Modi in a handshake with Conservative Party Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the G7 Summit in 2019 with the message Don't risk a Tory MP who is not on your side .
It triggered furious reactions across social media after Tory MP Richard Holden posted an image of it on Twitter, questioning whether it implies that Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer would not be seen in a handshake with the Indian Prime Minister.
Dear Keir Starmer, please can you explain this leaflet and clarify whether a Labour PM/politician would refuse to have any relationship with the world's largest democracy? Is this your message to 1.5 million+ members of the Indian diaspora in UK, questioned the Conservative Friends of India (CFIN) diaspora organisation.
The outrage was echoed from within the Labour Party ranks, with the Labour Friends of India (LFIN) diaspora group demanding the immediate withdrawal of the leaflet.
The Labour Party is right to call out Boris Johnson's lack of action following the conclusion that anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem within the Conservative Party. It is unfortunate that the Labour Party used a picture of the Prime Minister of India, the world's largest democracy and one of the UK's closest friends, from the G7 meeting in 2019, on its leaflet, LFIN said in its statement.
Indian-origin veteran Labour MP Virendra Sharma also condemned the move as cheap divide and rule and dog-whistle politics not worthy of Labour.
The Labour Party will win by bringing people together and uniting the community, to do anything else will divide our community and play into Tory hands, said Sharma, who represents Ealing Southall in London a constituency with a large Indian diaspora presence.
Another Indian-origin Labour MP, Navendu Mishra, took to Twitter to declare that racism is alive and well within Labour .
A hierarchy of racism exists inside the party and some groups are seen as fair game for attacks based on religion/race/heritage, said Mishra, MP for Stockport in northern England.
Labour will not win by playing divide and rule politics against our communities. We will win based on a principled stance against racism and discrimination of all kinds inside and outside the party, he said.
The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) group reacted by organising a letter of complaint to party leader Starmer, criticising the votebank politics of the campaign leaflet.
OFBJP objects to this kind of anti-India branding just for votebank politics. Such posters and statements are clearly a sign of divisive politics played by Labour, said OFBJP President Kuldeep Shekhawat.
Angry messages dominated the original Twitter post on social media, with many pointing out that it was Labour's perceived anti-India stance" that was among the factors behind its bruising defeat in the 2019 General Election under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The by-election in Batley and Spen, a traditional Labour stronghold, is seen as a crucial test of Starmer's leadership after the Opposition party fared poorly in recent byelections.
The by-poll this week follows the previous Labour MP, Tracy Brabin, stepping down after being elected Mayor of West Yorkshire and has Kim Leadbeater in the fray for the party, the sister of Jo Cox the Labour MP murdered near her constituency office in a far-right attack in June 2016.
.@AngelaRayner comes over like butter wouldn’t melt on @BBCr4today but @UKLabour are putting out this ? In #BatleyAndSpenByelection
— Richard Holden MP (@RicHolden) June 28, 2021
1) Would @Keir_Starmer not meet @narendramodi?
2) Labour are, again, playing the identity politics they have a go at @georgegalloway for! pic.twitter.com/7L1JhVlBiM
This is cheap divide and rule politics not worthy of the Labour party. @SadiqKhan won by bringing people together and uniting the community; we can do the same anywhere. To do anything else will divide our community and play into Tory hands. https://t.co/gQ7goBGgiq
— Virendra Sharma MP (@VirendraSharma) June 28, 2021
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UP: Petrol pump manager booked for denying fuel to ambulance; causing man's death
Ballia (UP) (PTI): Police on Saturday registered a case against a petrol pump manager in connection with the death of a 50-year-old man who allegedly could not be taken to hospital in time after a private ambulance was denied fuel.
The case has been filed against Ashok Kumar Bharti, manager of M/s Bhushan Service Station in Tengrahi village, under sections of the Essential Commodities Act, officials said.
According to police, the FIR was lodged following a complaint by Supply Inspector Indresh Kumar Tiwari. During the inquiry, the manager admitted that an ambulance had arrived at the petrol pump around 9.20 pm on April 22 seeking fuel, stating that it had run out of petrol. However, fuel was not provided, citing non-availability, officials said.
The ambulance allegedly remained stationed at the pump for about 15 minutes. However, records showed that the petrol pump had sufficient stock on that day, including 4,595 litres of motor spirit, 4,784 litres of high-speed diesel and 3,475 litres of premium petrol, indicating that fuel was available but not supplied, the FIR said.
District Magistrate Mangla Prasad Singh said an inquiry was conducted under the supervision of the Additional District Magistrate by a team comprising the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bairia and the District Supply Officer. Based on the findings, directions were issued to register a case.
Circle Officer (Bairia) Mohammad Fahim Qureshi said police have launched a probe and are searching for the accused manager.
Earlier, District Supply Officer Devmani Mishra had said that Chhatthu Sharma (50), a resident of Pandeypur village in Bairia tehsil, fell critically ill on the night of April 22. His family was taking him to the district hospital in a private ambulance when it ran out of fuel on the way.
The family approached a petrol pump near Tengrahi village for fuel, but the operator allegedly refused, citing a shortage. The family claimed that Sharma died on the way as he could not be taken to the hospital in time due to a lack of petrol.
The district magistrate said that CCTV footage confirmed that the ambulance had reached the petrol pump and sought fuel, which was not provided. He added that the pump operator cited low stock, but inspection revealed sufficient stock of petrol and diesel at the outlet.
Officials said that representatives of Indian Oil have also visited the site, and further action against the petrol pump will be recommended based on the findings.
