London, Oct 17: Members of the Indian diaspora in London rallied in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the Indian High Commission, waving the Tricolour and raising slogans in the Prime Minister's favour.
The gathering saw members of the Indian community chanting slogans such as 'Modi, Modi', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Jai Shri Ram', expressing their support for the Prime Minister and the Government of India.
The participants said they had assembled to defend India's image abroad and oppose demonstrations that, in their view, sought to damage the country's reputation on foreign soil.
The show of support came amid protests in India by the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which have been targeting the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Opposition groups have alleged irregularities in the exercise and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking to IANS, an Indian diaspora member living in London said the gathering was intended to register opposition to what the participants viewed as attempts to malign India internationally.
"Today, we have gathered here at Bharat Bhavan in London to oppose those who, in our view, are defaming India. We, as Indian nationalists, have come together to respond to their actions and raise our voices in defence of our country," the diaspora member said.
Questioning the approach adopted by those protesting against the Indian government, the participant argued that grievances in a democracy should be addressed through established legal and constitutional mechanisms rather than demonstrations that could affect the country's image abroad.
"What exactly are you protesting against? If you have any grievances, India is a democracy. You can approach the courts, including the Supreme Court, and seek justice through the legal system. Where is your evidence? It appears that your opposition is driven by your dislike of PM Modi, his leadership, and India's progress," the participant added.
Another member of the Indian community told IANS that the gathering was organised to support the Prime Minister and the government, which, the participant said, had been elected through a democratic process and therefore had the mandate to govern.
"We are gathered here to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India because they were democratically elected by the people of India and have every democratic right to remain in power. Prime Minister Modi has a public mandate. While people talk about poverty, the PM Modi government's achievement in opening 300 million bank accounts for the poor is noteworthy," the participant said.
A third participant, speaking to IANS, said, "Today, we have gathered here to stand up for India and support PM Modi. Standing up for your rights and defaming India are two different things. You can raise your concerns, but you should not do so in a way that damages the country's reputation on foreign soil."
Meanwhile, REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) India, an international organisation that brings together Indians across the globe, criticised the NSUI-led demonstrations in a strongly worded statement.
"Some traitor clowns who getting funds from outside to spread anarchy in India who failed miserably are now trying to demean India in other countries. Dear students, you have come to UK using your parents money or Govt sponsorship. Spend your time wisely and not mixing with anti-Indian elements and raising demeaning slogans. You were mixing with non Indian anti-Indian people and you are getting marked. Lets discuss Indian politics inside India," REACH posted on X.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress-led INDIA bloc and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of attempting to "destroy Indian democracy" and facilitate a "regime change" by facilitating such protests against the constitutional institutions.
--IANS