UK Parliament hosts inaugural Indian Independence Day celebration

A unique event commemorating India's 76th year of independence took place at the UK Parliament complex, receiving cross-party support and the endorsement of the India (Trade and Investment) All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

The event was organised by the 1928 Institute, a British Indian think tank, and featured a special roundtable discussion titled 'India and the Indo-Pacific'.

The roundtable brought together esteemed personalities such as the High Commissioners of India, Bangladesh, Australia, Canada, Nepal, and others.

Subsequently, a reception was held in the River Room of the House of Lords on Monday evening (10).

During the event, Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, delivered a keynote address reaffirming the Labour Party's commitment to strengthening India-UK relations and fostering closer ties between the two nations.

“It does feel particularly special that I think this is the first time an event like this has taken place in Parliament,” said Starmer.

“It's absolutely incredible to be here and to be making this milestone, and may there be many, many more as we go forward. India, of course, won its independence under the [Prime Minister Clement] Attlee government – a good Labour government post war. Under my leadership, Labour will continue to build on the internationalist principles that underpinned that really important decision back then and work with India on the global stage,” he said.

During the UK-India Week last month, the Leader of the Labour Party restated his commitment to leading a transformed party that recognises and appreciates the valuable contributions made by the Indian diaspora.

He emphasised that a future Labour government would actively support the rights of British Indians and take decisive measures to address any instances of anti-India racism.

“From fighting pandemics to rebuilding and fighting climate change to fighting terrorism, the UK and India stand together, have worked together on those projects...The nature of the UK-India relationship that we would seek will be based on these principles: open-handed, respectful, forward-looking and aspirational,” he added.

Baroness Sandy Verma, president of the India (Trade and Investment) APPG, highlighted the significance of the event as a celebration of what has been achieved in the bilateral relationship since India's independence.

“It is so crucial to have an APPG on India focused on trade and investment. The Indian government hosted us in April, when we had the first parliamentary delegation from the UK to India in six years...it should not have taken so long, we should be doing one every single year,” said Lord Karan Bilimoria, co-chair of the APPG, who pointed to the lack of a major British trade delegation to India since Theresa May was the prime minister in November 2016 and called for one under the leadership of prime minister Rishi Sunak.

The event saw the presence of several ministers from the Sunak-led government, including Nigel Huddleston, the trade minister, and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the foreign office minister for the Indo-Pacific.

Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, addressed the audience and highlighted the immense potential and opportunities offered by the India-UK partnership. He expressed optimism about the future of this collaboration, emphasising that all factors are aligned for its success.

"We essentially need to look at it as a forward-looking partnership. We often make the mistake, and I think it's a common feeling in both our cultures, of trying to navigate the way forward by looking back. It is a spectacularly good recipe for landing on one's face,” he said.

Doraiswami underscored the key pillars of building a strong bilateral partnership and pointed to the Indian diaspora as a “model community” in the UK as one such pillar that binds the countries together.

“Your success has been a source of pride to both countries, but it's also been an inspiration for what can be done through hard work, through family values, through the enabling environment of a system that has essentially allowed you to give your best. That has come not through ease, but through hard work,” he said, addressing the strong diaspora gathering including Dr Jason Wouhra of Lioncroft wholesale business.

Doraiswami emphasised the fundamental elements necessary for fostering a robust bilateral partnership and specifically highlighted the Indian diaspora as a crucial pillar that binds the UK and India together.

The 1928 Institute, a platform established as a spin-out from Oxford University, focuses on researching and representing the perspectives of British Indians, the largest ethnic minority group in the UK.

According to the institute, the event was organised to honour and remember the sacrifices made by the generation of Indians who fought for India's independence.

This inaugural celebration held at the UK Parliament complex marked a significant milestone, preceding the upcoming Independence Day on August 15.

It is anticipated that this event will become an annual occurrence on the parliamentary calendar, commemorating the historic occasion.

(With inputs from PTI)