Jeremy Corbyn rejects BJP’s politics of communalism

BIRMINGHAM: The leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, on Friday said that India and Pakistan must find a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue.

Speaking exclusively to Geo News in Birmingham ahead of Britain's general elections on December 12, Corbyn termed himself a friend of the people of the subcontinent and said that he wanted peace. 

Responding to a question about the ongoing human rights violations and media black out in Kashmir, particularly since August 5 this year, Jeremy Corbyn thanked the reporter for raising the query. 

“The issue has to be addressed by both India and Pakistan. It has to be addressed on the basis of the rights of all of the people that live within Kashmir in order to bring about long-term sustainable peace.”

“We cannot go forever having the distress, the tension and the human rights issues going on in Kashmir. And having studied this over many years, I consider myself a friend of all of the people of subcontinent."

Answering a question about the malicious campaign run against the Labour Party by a group of supporters of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Corbyn called on the British people to make wise choices. 

The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) group had earlier this year openly attacked about 50 Labour MPs for supporting the people of Kashmir and urged British Indians to vote for the Conservative Party. 

"People should consider manifestos and policies of political parties rather then communal politics of divisions," he noted. 

He further said that people would make their decisions about voting based on policies. 

"People will vote in the elections on the basis of what will happen to the community and their livelihood if the conservatives or the Labour are elected, but also the stance our government will take on world stage."

“I don’t think we want to have a political divide on the basis of communal politics. I want to do politics of unity to bring people together,” added Corbyn, noting that his party supported education and housing. 

”I hope they (people) will consider our manifesto. We will bring investment in education and housing and we will support particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, both through investments and grants," he remarked.

Corbyn also expressed his concerns regarding the rise of hate crimes in the country in general and Islamophobia in particular in recent years, and termed such incidents “disgusting” and “disgraceful”. 

He vowed to continue his party's efforts to tackle the rise of Islamophobia by defining it as well as tackling the rise in anti-Semitic attacks and hate crimes across Britain. 

In the upcoming December elections, Labour has fielded a record 53% female candidates — the only political party in the history of British politics to do so — and Corbyn did feel proud of this achievement.

“I am proud that we have made a lot of progress on gender balance. It was the Labour Party that set up a women section and decided on a shortlist so that women could be selected from some constituencies.”

“Depending on the results of the elections, the next Parliamentary Labour Party will have a majority of women members, the first time ever in the British political history” said the Labour leader.

Corbyn, who has been a life long campaigner of equal rights and representation of ethnic communities in politics, was confident that this trend will lead to equal representation elections after elections.

“We also have greater diversity than we have ever had before with a number of MPs being elected who will be Muslims, Hindus, Jewish, Afro-Caribbean and a number of different groups representing."

"And I’m very confident that election after election there will be more candidates from black and monitory ethnic communities representing our party and I’m proud of that,” said the Labour Leader.