LIKELY PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE IN DAVID CAMERON’S RE-ELECTION AS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, THE LEADER APPEALED TO THE UK’S HINDU COMMUNITY DURING HIS CAMPAIGN.
Predicted to be a far closer race than it ended up being, the United Kingdom’s 2015 election has come to a close and the conservative party leader, David Cameron, has held on to his position as Prime Minister. Overcoming several legitimate contenders to his incumbency, Cameron appealed to a wide variety of communities to help retain his place in power.
One particular community that likely helped David Cameron win his role as Prime Minister is the British Hindu community. Leading up to the election, Cameron appealed to Hindu voters by praising Hindu values and singing praises to their accomplishments. While campaigning for re-election, he said of Hindu beliefs, “When I look at the Ramayana and my understanding of the Hindu religion, there’s so much that you have to say about the importance of family, about the importance of community, about the importance of voluntary service – these are the values that our country needs more of.”
One of David Cameron’s most notable actions to gain favor with the Hindus of the United Kingdom was elevating the famous Swaminarayan temple at Neasden to the level of Stonehenge and Big Ben in terms of historical and social significance. “I go around the country, I see our iconic buildings and statues Stonehenge, the Angel of the North, Big Ben, and I’ll tell you what – Neasden Mandir is one of them – one of our great British landmarks.” He noted particular pride in the fact that this temple was the first Hindu temple in Europe, and it was built in the United Kingdom.
And his appeal to the Hindu community likely paid off considering nearly 1.5 million Indian Hindus make up a considerable voting bloc in this election. With the slogan “Phir Ek Bar Cameron Sakaar” – one borrowed from Narendra Modi’s “Akbi baar, Modi Sarkar” campaign slogan which helped him become India’s current Prime Minister – Cameron appealed to one of the largest minority populations in the United Kingdom. Narendra Modi even referenced these campaign slogans in a congratulatory tweet after David Cameron won.