British National Party seeks joint front with Hindus and Sikhs, against Muslims

hindustantimes.com ^ | September 09 2001 | Vijay Dutt

[AM2000]

BNP woos non-Muslims Indians

THE HEAD of the racist British National Party (BNP) has reportedly approached Sikh and Hindu leaders in the UK and urged the formation of a joint front against Muslims. BBC radio reported that Nick Griffin, head of the far-right BNP met the international secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Griffith was himself reported to have said he had met Sikh leaders.

BBC's Radio 4 reported Griffin's meeting with VHP leader, Hashmukh Shah, last month. Shah said Griffin had come "unannounced and uninvited" to his office on July 12. "Griffin came to me possibly because he knew that my business and properties had been attacked by rioters in April," said the VHP leader.

Shah confirmed that Griffin had wanted him to issue a joint statement against Muslims. But Shah had refused. "First and foremost, Hindus are against all intolerance and extremism. Whether it is by whites who are racists or by Muslims who are fundamentalists," Shah says he told Griffin.

Shah told Griffin how Indians had suffered during recent racist riots in British towns like Bradford and Oldham, how their cars and homes had been torched. However, he also issued a warning to hardline Muslims in Britain. "We wish to warn fundamentalists that their extremism is making lower-class whites tilt towards the BNP and creating racist hatred."

Griffin himself denied that he had met Shah. But he reportedly said he had met Sikh leaders in the South Asian dominated area of Southall and discussed the problems they all faced from Muslims.

This report led police Superintendent Martyn Horne scurrying to meet various Sikh leaders and local gurdwaras to find out whether Griffin had visited them. Onkar Singh Thapar, general secretary in charge of international affairs of the All India Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), said no one from his group had met Griffin.

Horne also talked to Brijmohan Gupta, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Southall restaurant owner. Gupta said, "I told him that no one had heard about the alleged meetings of Griffin with Sikhs." He said Horne admitted he had so far drawn a blank, that all the gurdwaras had denied any visit by Griffin.

A South Asian Muslim leader said he was confident that the divide-and-rule policy practised in 18th century India would not work here in Britain.

The BNP's overtures to non-Muslim South Asians marks a sharp shift in tactics. Traditionally, the party has opposed immigrants on the basis of their colour. Griffin is moving towards a cultural and religious definition of "non-British." This may be a fallout of the Oldham and Bradford riots which were largely between South Asian Muslims and white Britons.