The UK General Election has been declared to take place on the 4th of July 2024. As British Hindus & Indians, we see politics as a taboo topic. Many don’t even exercise their democratic right to vote whilst others vote as a matter of loyalty to a given party without thinking further about the impact on them, the community and the nation.
British Hindus & Indians comprise approximately 1.7% of the UK population, that’s around 1 million according to the recent 2021 UK Census 2021.
Even with such a small number, our contribution to the British economy through our taxes is amongst the highest among all ethnic and religious minorities. Our contributions to the National Health Service (NHS) are immense through our doctors, nurses, engineers and other staff. and our businesses provide employment to tens of thousands.
We are high achievers in education with the majority of British Hindus going on to further and higher education. We are hard-working and as a result, we have become self-sufficient, independent and affluent.
At the other end of the spectrum, we are the most well-behaved community making up less than 0.3 per cent of the British prison population.
We have built up our own thriving and successful community groups and organisations according to sampradays (religious sects), states, regions and languages.
However, with all that success and achievements, we are yet to come together as a unified Hindu community and build a UK-wide Hindu spirit.
Whilst we have assimilated into British society, we have not assimilated into the British system where policies are made, legislations are passed and narratives are set. A system where we have a meaningful voice, and where we can contribute to shaping the future of this country.
Though we contribute immensely, we are not represented, in fact, worse still, we are on many occasions misrepresented in education and academia, in the media and politics, at both local and national levels. Hindus are targeted, maligned and vilified without a response or anyone to defend us or put the record straight.
Politics is one of the main fields where we can make a difference, yet we remain the least politically engaged community. When issues arise for other communities, many MPs advocate for them, but for the BHI community, there are barely 2 or 3 MPs.
We are privileged to be living in a democracy where we have the right to vote for our representatives and the future of this country, but we rarely exercise that right.
This must change. We need our community to be a part of this country’s political system. We need to be at the table to shape and influence the future of this country, a future that will impact not just us but our children and future generations.
It is not only our right but more importantly our duty, our Dharma.
The upcoming general election is a key opportunity for us to put our voice forward, to let parliament candidates know that we exist and that our votes will no longer be taken for granted, and no longer come without conditions.
We have expectations from our representatives representing our interests which ultimately are in the interest of Britain and its progress.
We want to be fairly represented, our contributions recognised, and the understanding that Sanātan Hindu Dharma is an asset to Britain.
On the 4th of July, go out to vote!
Register to vote: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
