London Mayor criticised for partnering with Hindutva group linked to Diwali celebrations : Valley Vision

Dozens of organisations and individuals have criticised Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, for partnering with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (UK), a known Hindutva group, for this year’s Diwali celebration in London.

The event, held on Sunday, 27 October 2024, at Trafalgar Square, is considered one of the largest Diwali celebrations outside India and was organised by the Diwali in London Committee, a coalition of various organisations in collaboration with the Mayor’s office.

The VHP has faced accusations of orchestrating the 2002 Gujarat Muslim genocide, which resulted in the mass murder of at least 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. In an inquiry report on the Gujarat genocide, first cited by the BBC in its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled India: The Modi Question and later accessed by Maktoob, the United Kingdom government alleged that the violence was “planned, possibly in advance” by the Vishva Hindu Parishad.

The VHP was founded by M.S. Golwalkar, who also established the paramilitary Hindu supremacist organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS serves as the parent organisation for numerous Hindutva groups, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India’s ruling party.

An open letter addressed to Mayor Khan condemned the inclusion of the VHP-UK in the Diwali festivities, along with other organisations accused of promoting Hindutva ideology.

“The RSS and its auxiliaries in India, including the VHP, have been directly implicated in countless instances of deadly violence against dissidents and minorities, including the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid and subsequent anti-Muslim rioting, and the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat which left more than 2,000 dead,” the letter stated.

The letter also highlighted other Hindutva-linked organisations involved in the celebration, including Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and the National Hindu Students’ Forum (NHSF).

BAPS, for example, has been accused of labor trafficking from caste-oppressed communities in India to build its temples overseas, while the NHSF has faced criticism for alleged ties to Hindu nationalist movements.

Both the organising committee and the London government confirmed the Mayor’s involvement in the event. The London government website referred to it as “the Mayor of London’s annual Diwali,” while the Diwali in London website also noted that it was organised “in partnership with the Mayor of London.”

“Since the Mayor takes ownership of the event, due diligence should have taken place with regards to the event, its organisers, and their underlying affiliations and activities. The fact that the Mayor’s office has partnered with groups like VHP-UK, despite their well-known ties to far-right extremism in India, shows that there has been a serious lapse in this due diligence,” Rajiv Sinha, Director, Hindus for Human Rights UK, told Maktoob.

The open letter calls for an immediate end to any partnerships with the VHP and similar organisations that support far-right Hindu nationalism including BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Chinmaya Mission (UK), and National Hindus Students Forum.

The letter was undersigned by 33 organisations and individuals including, Hindus for Human Rights, Scottish Indians for Justice (SIFJ), South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG), Indian Workers’ Association (IWA), UK-Indian Muslim Council (UK-IMC), India Labour Solidarity (ILS), Students’ Federation of India United Kingdom (SFI UK), Dr. Subir Sinha, the reader at SOAS, University of London, and Yusuf Dawood, Gujarat riot survivor.