HVK Archives: Hindujas, Paul provide links between India, UK Labour; and create problem
Hindujas, Paul provide links between India, UK Labour; and create problem - The Economic Times
Sanjay Suri
()
22 October 1996
Title : Hindujas, Paul provide links between India,
UK Labour
Author : Sanjay Suri
Publication : The Economic Times
Date : October 22, 1996
The rivalry between the Hinduja brothers and Swraj Paul
is beginning to affect India's relations with the opposi-
tion Labour Party of Britain.
The attempts at diplomacy through businessmen have sur-
faced again following the Labour Party's decision to send
two Indian born British MPs with shadow foreign secretary
Robin Cook to India. Mr Piara Singh Khabra, MT for
Ealing Southall, and Swraj Paul will accompany Mr Cook on
his visit to India from October 31 to November 4.
Mr Cook's visit follows the Labour Party's controversial
stand on Kashmir. Mr Cook was the senior most labour
leader at a fringe meeting of the party in Brighton last
year when the party first announced its changed Kashmir
policy. That policy, which was perceived as hostile to
India, was welcomed by the Pakistani lobby.
The turnaround in Mr Cook's position came after a series
of what many Indians within the Labour Party have called
"questionable diplomacy" by India. The two rival Indian
business groups in London have been involved in these
measures right through.
The first friction came more than two years ago. Indian
officials had claimed a diplomatic coup when they per-
suaded Mr Tony Blair, now Labour Party leader, and Mr
Jack Cunningham, then shadow Labour spokesman for foreign
affairs, to visit India House. The two Labour leaders
also addressed a press conference there.
But irritation among the Labour leaders built up later
that evening itself. Indian High Commissioner LM Singhvi
personally took the two Labour leaders from India House
to the Hindujas' home. The Labour leaders told senior
party members later that they had not been told before-
hand that they would be asked to go to the Hindujas'
home.
The Hindujas were also in prominent attendance at the
meeting at Brent Town Hall last year where Mr Cook cate-
gorically spoke of Kashmir as a part of India. Senior
Labour members said their leaders, and Mr Cook particu-
larly, were once again irritated with the way this meet-
ing was handled. The meeting was supposed to have been
organised by Indian councillors. But Mr Cook found it to
be "blatantly an Indian government affair, with the
Indian councillors only an excuse for the event" a Labour
councillor said.
The Hindujas and some others invited by the High Commis-
sion armed more significant at the meeting than the
Labour councillors on whose invitation Mr Cook came.
Swraj Paul stayed away from the meeting.
Within two months of that, Mr Cook completely changed his
tune over Kashmir and strongly backed a resolution that
had been proposed by only three Labour MPs: Mr Gerald
Kaufman, Mr Max Madden and Claire Short. Mr Cook made
sure that the resolution was passed by the national
Executive Council of the party, the highest decision
making body, and then by the conference.
That resolution remains official Labour policy. It talks
of Kashmir as an area separate from India and calls for a
plebiscite under the UN resolutions.
The irritation of the Labour leadership with India House
has shown through time and again. At a dinner party last
year where Mr Cook was chief guest, Mr Cook said in
response to a speaker who praised High Commissioner
Singhvi: "The real test of his diplomatic skills will
come when Labour comes to power."
India House now wants Swraj Paul to influence some drone
control in Labour's relations with India. But there are
signs that it might be too late.
Labour MP David Fatchett spoke strongly in support of the
party policy resolution on Kashmir recently.
He was addressing a meeting of Indian councillors in
Blackpool in north England where the annual party confer-
ence was held. He made no mention of the Kashmir elec-
tions even though results had come in.
A spokeswoman at Mr Cook's office said that Mr Cook will
visit both the Indian and the Pakistani parts of Kashmir.
Mr Cook is due to visit Pakistan after his visit to
India. The critical test will be whether Mr Cook modi-
fies his position in the light of the Kashmir elections.
But one way or the other the Indian mission has n6t been
able to deal with the Labour Party without one or the
other businessmen involved one way or the other.
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