THANKS to his unquestioning support for the Indian prime minister, Lord Rami Ranger’s influence appears to have grown ever since he slammed the two-part BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question.
In fact, Ranger met Modi for 35 minutes in his office in Delhi last month.
Ranger has always been a high profile figure in British Asian affairs in the UK but the controversy over the BBC documentary transformed him overnight into the staunch Modi supporter that TV stations in India most wanted to interview.
In the UK, Ranger is much admired for his success in business, which he has described in his memoirs, From Nothing to Everything: An inspiring saga of struggle and success from £2 to a £200 million business.
Raminder Singh Ranger was born in July 1947 in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan) two months after the assassination of his father, Shaheed Nanak Singh. He was a victim of the communal violence which led to the deaths of a million people during the Partition of India. His mother, Sardarni Harbans Kaur, 35 at the time, came to India as a refugee and had to bring up seven sons and a daughter on her own. Ranger gifted a copy of the biography of his father to the Indian prime minister.
Ranger has come a long way since he arrived in Britain, aged, 24 in 1971. He has sold 70 per cent of his marketing company, Sun Mark, for about £100m to Konings N V, the large Belgian firm with which he has had a 20-year relationship. His daughter, Reena Ranger, and Ameet Jogia, who are local government councillors, have taken from Ranger as joint co-chair of Conservative Friends of India. Meanwhile, the Tories continue to rely on Ranger’s fund raising abilities.
“I am an ambassador in the treasury department,” he said.
After four years of litigation, it is a huge relief for Ranger that an employment tribunal in Watford has struck down a £673,000 claim brought by a former employee. The judge threw out her case after she admitted she had destroyed a recording of a telephone call between her and Ranger.
But it is the BBC documentary that has put Ranger centre stage in recent weeks. After Ranger announced he had written to Tim Davie, the BBC director general, complaining about the documentary – he hasn’t had a reply so far – he has been interviewed almost non-stop by Indian television. He reckons he has given “30 to 40” interviews.
His arguments were set out in his letter to Davie, in which he said he was “appalled by the documentary”. He made the point that the documentary, which claimed Modi was implicated in the Gujarat riots of 2002, had the potential to disturb communal relations in the UK.
“I condemn violence and loss of life wherever it takes place, and I equally condemn those stirring up religious hatred in the United Kingdom by bringing up the politics of the subcontinent to the United Kingdom. We have one King and Country and, as a result, are one. No one has the right to divide us for cheap popularity with egregious journalism, which can have dire consequences for the nation in the long run,” Ranger’s letter said.
It added: “As the chairman of the Pakistan, Indian & UK friendship Forum, we have worked for over 25 years to build bridges between two British communities, namely of Indian and Pakistani origin, to improve social cohesion in the United Kingdom. The BBC documentary has opened old wounds by creating hatred between British Hindus and Muslims by attempting to paint India as an intolerant nation where Muslims are persecuted.”
As a consequence of his support for Modi, who will hope to retain power in next year’s general election, Ranger unwittingly finds himself as a player in relations between the UK and India.
On the documentary, Modi apparently told Ranger, “Why is there so much negative propaganda about India?”
Ranger said that the BBC “have scored an own goal because they want to divide their own citizens, British Hindus and Muslims, by stirring up hatred. Modi was exonerated with Supreme Court (of India). You don’t really insult the judiciary and the people of such a big country.”
He also felt he had to stick up for India “because it’s our motherland. The Prime Minister is doing an excellent job. He has put my country on the map. People are respecting India as never before. He is respected not only by Biden by also by Putin. What a height of diplomacy.”
As to how the meeting came about, Ranger revealed: “Well, because I am a very big supporter of Mr Modi, I wrote to someone who works in in his office, ‘I am coming to India, can I meet him?’ He said, ‘Let me see.’ And they cleared me and I was able to meet him.”
Speaking in Hindi, the two discussed UK-Indian relations and especially the bilateral Free Trade Agreement. “Mr Modi was very positive. He said, ‘We’d like to have a good relationship with the United Kingdom.’ He’s hopeful that the FTA will happen.”
Ranger argued that the UK would stand to benefit more from the FTA. “I am talking to secretaries of state in the UK, telling them the merits of having a partnership with a growing economy and a big market.”
Many of the blue chip companies in the west are run by Indians, said Ranger. “President Biden has picked another Indian (former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga) to run the World Bank. Indians are the product of a secular and democratic country. They are taught to use merit to surge ahead.”
That is a narrative that Ranger probably shares with Modi. That does mean Ranger’s influence will grow if he is perceived to be someone with high level contacts in the corridors of power in Delhi.
Ranger said: “I managed to meet the defence minister (Rajnath Singh). I have also met his counterpart, Ben Wallace. The two countries are developing collaboration on manufacturing defence equipment in India. Things are happening.”
He wants to help Modi and Rishi Sunak a closer relationship.
“The Indian community adores Rishi,” enthused Ranger. “They are very proud of what he has achieved. And it also shows the strength of British democracy and fair play. Rishi is a very bright person. The economy is starting to grow, the pound is stable, confidence in returning, and he has a very good team surrounding him. He has to prove himself so he’s working very hard.”
It seems Modi went out of his way to welcome Ranger. “He was so courteous. His people took one picture but before I left, the prime minister said, ‘Let’s have another picture.’ ”
