The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) has been very concerned about the recent Press articles regarding another Hindu Charity – National Council of Hindu Temples UK (NCHTUK), which is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission for failing to follow the Charity Commission’s Guidance on Elections and Referendums or the impact of The Transparency of Lobbying, Non Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (the Lobbying Act).
Umesh C Sharma-Chairman of The Hindu Council UK said “we understand that the National Council of Hindu Temples UK is being investigated over an open letter endorsing the Conservative Party and warning its members to be wary of the Labour Party. The letter, posted on the organisation’s website, is signed by the charity’s General Secretary. It cites a statement saying: British Hindus, Sikhs & Jains voting for Labour is now like turkeys voting for Christmas.
However, following developments yesterday, The President of the NCHT, has openly declared that the open letter had been sent out by the NCHT General Secretary- Satish K Sharma without any of the executive committee members agreeing to it. He further stated that none of the members of NCHT is endorsing it because it would be wrong for us to tell people to vote for one party or another”.
In the past few days we have also read on social media that apparently other leading Hindu organisations have come out against the Labour Party and urging their members to vote for the Conservative Party alone. It will be interesting to see if the Trustees of these organisations will retract this or if any formal inquiries are launched into these organisations also.
Umesh C Sharma added “at this stage it in unclear whether the NCHT has broken any rules and what action the Charity Commission or the Electoral commission may take. It is unfortunate and a very sad state of affairs that once again the Hindu Community has come into disrepute. HCUK would like to make it absolutely clear that its official line and stance on any matter is not represented by any other Organisation or for that matter any individual who may make comments on their blogs or social media. Thursday May 7th is an important date on which All Hindus must register our voice via the ballot papers and vote for a party that will respect our values. We urge ALL Hindus to use their vote wisely and vote for the Party of their choice who can achieve this”
PRESS ARTICLES OF THE INVESTIGATION INTO NCHT:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/hindu-charity-investigated-over-open-letter-endorsing-the-co
Since the launch of Hindu Council UK’s ‘British Hindu Manifesto for the GE2015’ at the beginning of April – HCUK have received numerous emails of congratulations and best wishes from Community Organisations, Hindu Temples, Individuals and the Media regarding the contents of our Manifesto. In fact, many Political correspondents/editors have utilised the manifesto for their articles and most significantly, seven Hindu Temples have formally requested to become members of the Hindu Council UK and would like Hindu Council UK to act on their behalf and represent them.
The Full Manifesto is also downloadable directly from our website through the link below:
The General Election on 7 May 2015 is likely to be one of the most important elections in the UK for some time. It will set the direction of travel for the country for at least the next five years – Of course, it’s no longer just a two-horse race and the current situation demonstrates the influence a minority party can have in a coalition Government.
Over the last 4 months, we asked our members and affiliates what the next Government could do to support the Hindu Community and their aspirations. The result is The British Hindu Manifesto: which sets out eleven priority actions that will make the biggest difference for the 1 Million+ Hindus in the UK. Our manifesto makes recommendations to ALL Political Parties for priorities and policies to benefit the Hindu Community.
Our manifesto topics are very important to the British Hindu community and clearly outline that the Hindu vote can no longer be taken for granted. The Manifesto demonstrates the commitment of the Hindu Community to be actively involved with the British political process and increases the awareness and importance of social and political activism within the British Hindu community. The Entire Team at Hindu Council UK are very proud of the detailed work that has gone into producing the Manifesto.
The British Hindu Manifesto has been sent to
1. All Prospective Parliamentary Candidates standing for Election on 7th May 2015.
2. Leaders of All Political Parties.
3. Hard copies sent to over 200 Hindu Temples in the UK
4. Emailed to over 66,000 email addresses on the Hindu Council UK’s database
5. British Media
6. Shared on HCUK’s Website and Social Media platforms.
Umesh C Sharma
Chairman
Hindu Council UK (HCUK)
Website: www.hinducounciluk.org
Twitter: @hinducouncil
Facebook: Hindu Council UK – HCUK