By K.B. Ganapathy, Editor-in-Chief

In UK, at present general election campaign is hotting up. There were Hindus, Muslims and Christians among others who have entered the election arena hoping to make it to British Parliament-Westminster. There were Pakistan origin Muslims and Indian Hindus. I do not know if Indian Muslims too are there and Sikhs, Jain et al. And like in all democracies all over the world vote-bank strategy is practised by those contestants who are ready to compromise their ideals and fool the voters.

An example was seen in the ongoing general election in United Kingdom. Today’s report says that the Labour MP for  Ealing Southall, a heavily Indian origin constituency and Chairperson of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Virendra Sharma, said to be the longest serving India-origin MP, had told a multi-faith meeting in London that “Pakistan is not harbouring terrorist groups or sponsoring terrorism.”

How could such a person be the head of the Indo-British APPG? Worse, how much harm he must have done to India in the past years that he was holding this office? It was Labour Party in power after World War II that partitioned India in haste to give Indian Muslims a homeland — Pakistan. That wound is not healed and has remained a festering wound in Kashmir. When Barrack Obama was US President, Pakistan was hosting the world’s No. 1 terrorist Osama-bin-Laden till he was eliminated by a surgical strike on his hide-out in Abbottabad military camp in Pakistan.

Just earlier this morning there was terrorist attack in Manchester England, killing over 22 persons and injuring many. Donald Trump himself had asked Pakistan not to harbour terrorists and as a result the 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind who was walking free in Pakistan was put on house arrest etc.

And this MP Virendra Sharma had the gumption and cheek to absolve Pakistan from its evil deed — for a few more votes from the Pakistani origin voters!

Reading the news, I was reflecting about India’s fate as a subjugated nation under Muslim and British rule. Why Hindus let down India, their home country, more so when one is in England? Specially when, for an English man, patriotism means “right or wrong my country.” Why an Indian abroad does not have the same sense of patriotism?

According to a writer the reason for the ultimate collapse of Hindu resistance was that internal dissensions and treachery had enfeebled their ranks and the rest of the country. As such the rest of the country had failed to give them (the Hindu rulers) succour from time to time to carry on the battle for the defence of their kingdoms. Remember the history?

To Ghazni Mohammed, who looted and desecrated the Somnath Temple (1026 AD) our own Hindu Chieftains acted as guides and aides.

It was Jayachand who invited Muhammad Ghori in 1192. Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated. Raja Mansingh became the corner stone of Akbar’s vast empire. Therefore, what we see today is history repeating itself in its new avatar which will surely affect our country adversely. Therefore, Indian Government should ensure this Virendra Sharma is stripped of his chair of Indo-British APPG.