The Hindu Community Must Rally Behind Rishi Sunak

On 25 October 2022 a unique event took place. A Hindu became the PM of UK. Within 77 years of India’s hard fought Independence we have had a Hindu PM holding the highest position in the
country. The significance and enormity of this event does not seem to have dawned on the Hindu
community. It is a behemoth event. Here is a man who proudly calls himself a Hindu. He keeps Lord Ganesha in his office. He lights the lamps outside 10 Downing Street on Diwali. He goes to Mandirs and sings devotional songs. Rishi has raised the profile of Hinduism enormously. The Hindu community now has a huge challenge and that is to support Rishi. Anything else is secondary. Anything else is a distraction, a dereliction of duty.
Remember how we have always complained that Hindus have suffered because of our disunity and also for our betrayal. Well unwittingly we will be betraying a Hindu leader if we do not support him. We talk day and night about Hindu unity but when an opportunity comes to show that unity we come short.
The recently launched Hindu Manifesto is a distraction. It is basically asking Hindus to get candidates to endorse a list of demands. There is no bigger demand at the moment than getting a Hindu back in power. The Media has whipped up an anti-Sunak hysteria. He needs Hindu support but with the ill timed launch of the Manifesto, Hindus are being asked, even though unconsciously, to move away from supporting Rishi. History will note that the Hindu community failed to help a Hindu leader. It is irrelevant whether he wins or loses. What matters is whether we supported him or not. If we fail to do so it won’t be much different from Hindu betrayals during the Mughal Raj.
Practically speaking the Hindu Manifesto is such that any prospective candidate will not be able to support on your doorstep. This Manifesto should have gone to the prospective candidates weeks ago for them to be able to express their support. Even then hardly any candidate will agree to all the demands because of lack of clarity. What then will the Hindu voter do? He will be confused and miss out on voting for the Conservatives and Rishi Sunak.
A statement in the Manifesto says that our connection with India is spiritual and not political. It is a strange statement. Almost like wanting to cut the umbilical cord with Bharat. Another demand of the Manifesto is that Hindus should not be called ‘white people’ of South Asia. I have never heard this before. Regarding protection of Hindu Mandirs, well all the main parties would agree to that simply because it is illegal to attack places of worship.
It is not too late for the Hindu community to redeem itself. Let the word go out that for this election, backing a Hindu PM is our only goal.
Nitin Mehta
13 June 2024
www.nitinmehta.co.uk