London, December 15, 2019 (PPI-OT): The Tory party and its allied right-wing media attacked Jeremy Corbyn consistently and painted him as an extremist and supporter of militants for his principled stance on the occupation of Palestine and Kashmir as well as rights of Muslims and minorities.
Labour faced strong backlash, fully supported by Conservatives, when earlier in October the party admitted an emergency motion on Indian occupied Kashmir passed by the annual conference condemning India’s illegal annexation of Kashmir. The motion said there was a humanitarian crisis in the disputed territory and that the people of occupied Kashmir should be given the right to self-determination. It also called for international monitors to be allowed into the region.
Soon after the resolution was passed, the Indian government came into action and groups in Britain linked with the ruling BJP and RSS started campaign against Jeremy Corbyn calling him “anti-Hindu” and “anti-India” through its support group called Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP). The BJP’s overseas affiliate leafleted across the Indian communities urging Hindu voters not to vote for Labour and instead support the Conservatives who made no mention of Kashmir in their manifesto.
A group of Indians boycotted speech of London Mayor Sadiq Khan at Trafalgar Square on Diwali. Several councillors and high profile Labour figures announced leaving the party in protest and joined hands with right-wing forces.
Several Hindu temples got involved and urged the followers and members to not vote for Corbyn’s Labour Party. Just ahead of elections, Britain’s biggest Neasden Hindu temple in West London invited Boris Johnson as a guest of honour. Hindu groups ran campaign against two Sikh MPs of the Labour Party.
Election results show that campaign of the extremist Hindu groups failed to sway the entire India community but it did make big impact in nearly a dozen marginal constituencies where the swing vote helped Conservatives.
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