HINDUS in the UK are being urged to vote against Labour in the upcoming general election.
WhatsApp messages accusing the party of being "anti-India" and "anti-Hindu" have been sent using the app's forward function.
One message has called on "all India sympathisers" to "defeat Labour candidates from as many seats as possible.
"Another message said: “The Labour party is now the mouth-piece of the Pakistani government … It is anti-India, anti-Hindu and anti-[Indian prime minister Narendra] Modi. So if there are any Indians who are still voting for Labour, or are still members of the Labour party – then respectfully I say, they are traitors to their ancestral land, to their family and friends in India and to their cultural heritage.”
These messages could stoke division and incite violence, feel Labour candidates.
"Lots of people when they receive a WhatsApp message, they see that as the truth," Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi was quoted as saying by Sky News on Friday (8). "This is becoming increasingly prevalent and that is extremely worrying."
Dhesi, the Labour MP for Slough, said: “I urge my Hindu and Sikh British compatriots: don’t fall for the divisive tactics of religious hardliners, trying to wedge apart our cohesive community, circulating lies on WhatsApp.”
While it is not known where the messages originated, Sky News reported that it has seen them posted inside a local Conservative Association group on WhatsApp.
A Conservative spokesperson told the News Outlet: "This matter is under investigation by the party."
Several messages also refer to Kashmir and accuse Labour of having "blindly supported Pakistan's propaganda against the issue of Article 370 in Kashmir which is India's internal matter".
Another called Labour a mouthpiece for Pakistan.
David Lammy
Seema Malhotra
Moments from the event
