London/New Delhi: Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals participated in a protest led by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in London over allegations of electoral irregularities in India, overseas BJP UK and Europe leader Kuldeep Shekhawat has alleged.
He questioned the composition of the crowd, the involvement of foreign nationals, and the purpose of holding such a protest on British soil, in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18.
He also questioned who financed Rathee’s visit to London, although he admitted having no evidence that the protesters were paid to participate.
Only a small proportion of those attending the protest were of Indian origin, while Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals had turned up in significant numbers, Shekhawat claimed.
No more than 50 to 70 participants were of Indian origin, with many allegedly associated with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) or Congress-backed organisations operating in the UK, he said.
Some demonstrators carried flags and posters of the Indian Workers Association (IWA), he said describing it as a Congress-supported organisation.
“My first reaction to the whole story is what is Dhruv Rathee doing in London? Why is he dividing the Indian diaspora here in the UK,” Shekhawat said.
Rathee’s activities were creating divisions within the Indian community and affecting relations between India and the UK, he claimed, adding that the majority of the Indian diaspora in Britain did not support Rathee’s actions and had distanced themselves from the demonstration.
Shekhawat acknowledged that he could not say for sure whether the Pakistani and Bangladeshi participants had been paid to attend the protest,
“Well, I cannot guarantee on that side that they were paid or not,” he said.
He, however, questioned why foreign nationals were participating in a protest centred on India’s electoral process.
Shekhawat also referred to an alleged Bangladeshi participant who, according to him, claimed to have lived in West Bengal for three years before returning to London after being removed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Bangladeshi participants were also opposing the SIR exercise, he said, claiming that some had previously lived in India illegally.
The BJP leader also claimed that members of the Indian diaspora organised a spontaneous counter-protest against Rathee’s demonstration, expressing concern that the event could damage India-UK relations.
The counter-protest was largely non-political and only a small number of Overseas BJP members participated, he insisted.
Most of those opposing the demonstration were ordinary members of the Indian community who had gathered independently, he said.
The counter-protesters explained their concerns to local police when questioned about their presence, Shekhawat said.
“Sir, these people are anti-nationals. We have a very good relationship between India and the UK now, and these people are here to destroy that. So, we want to protest against these people,” he quoted the counter-protesters as telling police.
Pakistani protesters were seen carrying flags at the demonstration, describing their presence as a surprise to members of the Indian community, he said.
Shekhawat drew comparisons with previous demonstrations involving Khalistani and Pakistani groups outside the Indian High Commission in London when asked whether the participation of foreign nationals could affect the legitimacy of protests organised by Indians overseas,
Khalistani groups had previously participated alongside Pakistani protesters in anti-India demonstrations, he said, while clarifying that Khalistani participants were not present at the latest protest.
“Khalistanis have been mingling with the Pakistani crowd always. But yesterday, there was not a single Khalistani who was part of that that protest,” he said.
Several groups from different countries had participated in the latest demonstration and were actively raising slogans against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
“The worst part is they were part of the protest. They were not witnesses or spectators; they were all participating, shouting slogans, all anti-India slogans, and they were all targeting Prime Minister Modi,” he claimed.
When asked about the source of funds for such protests, Shekhawat admitted that he had no confirmed information about any financial backing. “Well, I am not sure somebody is funding them,” he said.
He, however claimed to have received information suggesting that Rathee had travelled first-class from Dubai to London and stayed at the Taj Hotel for two days.
“Who has funded that? It’s not cheap to stay in these kinds of hotels and travel first-class,” Shekhawat questioned.