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Voting ends in Conservative leadership contest

Immigration, the economy, and how the Conservatives can rebuild trust with voters have been debated at length through the campaign…reports Asian Lite News

Voting has ended in the marathon contest to replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader. The winner will be announced on Saturday morning, almost four months after the Tories’ crushing general election defeat which triggered Sunak’s resignation.

Conservative members have been choosing between former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, after four other candidates were eliminated in a series of votes by the party’s MPs. Badenoch is the favourite to win, but Jenrick insisted the contest was “close”, saying “we’re chasing down every vote”.

Appearing on the Politics Live programme, he said he wanted “whoever is elected to have a mandate from the membership”. Earlier this week, Badenoch also suggested there had been a low turnout: “I’m doing more media this week specifically because people aren’t turning out to vote as much as we would have expected.”

Immigration, the economy, and how the Conservatives can rebuild trust with voters have been debated at length through the campaign.

The party suffered its worst general defeat in its history in July as it was reduced to a record low of 121 seats in the House of Commons, with under 24% of the vote. Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly spent the summer campaigning alongside the final two, after they put their names forward for leader.

Patel and Stride were eliminated in September, followed by Tugendhat and Cleverly after the party conference in Birmingham. Cleverly was regarded as having performed best at the conference and topped the third MPs’ ballot.

But he was surprisingly knocked out when Tory MPs voted for the final time 24 hours later. Badenoch secured 42 votes, Jenrick 41 and Cleverly 37. A survey of Tory members by the ConservativeHome website last week suggested Badenoch led Jenrick by 55% to 31%, with a further 14% undecided.

Jenrick, who resigned from Sunak’s government in protest at its approach to tackling migration, put the issue at the centre of his leadership bid. He has called for a legally-binding cap on net migration, and for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights which he argues has made it “impossible to secure our borders”.

He has also repeatedly criticised Badenoch for refusing to set out detailed policies during the campaign. Jenrick told GB News the Conservatives “lost four million voters to Reform at the last election” and it was “going to take a lot” to persuade them to come back.

“That’s why I say we’re going to have to change the party fundamentally, and this time actually deliver, because we didn’t deliver on some of those big questions. I think just saying that we will think this through, we’ll come forward with policies in the months or years to come, isn’t going to cut it.”

Badenoch has called for a return to core Conservative values, arguing the previous Tory government “talked right but governed left”. Kemi Badenoch: Political scrapper set on ‘governing right’

She backs a smaller state with government doing “fewer things” but doing them better. And she has countered Jenrick’s criticism of her by arguing that the party needs to first decide what it stands for.

She told GB News: “We need to get back to first principles. We ended up talking about policy without rooting it in principles.” Badenoch also condemned the Budget as one that would destroy jobs and lower wages. She described the government as “Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour with Keir Starmer fronting it”.

Jenrick told Politics Live the Budget was “disgraceful” and voters were “furious” with its “dishonesty” after Labour’s election promise not to increase taxes for working people. “Rachel Reeves is a compulsive liar,” he said.

In the same interview, Jenrick also hit back after Sir Keir Starmer warned MPs, including the Tory leadership candidates, they “can either support the police in their difficult work” on the Southport attack or “undermine” them. On Tuesday, it emerged that 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, who is accused of murdering three young girls in the attack, had also been charged with production of the poison, ricin, and possession of a military study of the Al Qaeda training manual, an offence under terrorism legislation.

Counter Terrorism Police are currently not treating the attack as a terrorist incident. On Tuesday, Jenrick suggested information about the attack had been “concealed”, while Badenoch said the government, police and prosecutors had “questions to answer”.

Speaking on Politics Live, Jenrick said it was “quite wrong, anti-democratic that he [the PM] was able to make a political statement about this case, but those of us in Parliament, in opposition, were not able to question him”.

Satrmer needed to say when he had learnt this information and, if it was months ago, to explain why he had not been “more open and honest about it”, he added. “I’m merely asking the question. What I’m worried about here is permanent erosion in public trust in policing and the criminal justice system. And I’m worried we’re in that place right now.”

Meanwhile, the two candidates have declared a further £112,500 in donations to their campaigns. Badenoch received £82,500, according to the latest register of MPs’ interests, including £40,000 from billionaire Alan Howard. Jenrick declared two donations totalling £30,000. Over the course of the campaign, Jenrick has received a total of £480,000 while his rival has received £422,500.

ALSO READ: Private schools to take legal action against VAT on fees

1 November 2024
Private schools to take legal action against VAT on fees

The government predicts that private school fees could rise by an average of 10% due to the introduction of VAT….reports Asian Lite News

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) has said it will launch legal action against the government’s decision to impose VAT on independent school fees.

The council, which represents more than 1,400 private schools in the UK and abroad, reached its decision after a board meeting held on Thursday. Human rights barrister David Pannick KC will lead the challenge, which will be brought on behalf of parents.

It comes after the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, confirmed in the budget that 20% VAT would be applied to private schools from January, with the government estimating it could raise £460m next year, potentially rising to £1.7bn by 2029/30. Julie Robinson, the chief executive of ISC, said: “This is a decision that has not been taken lightly and has been under consideration for many months.

“At all points throughout this debate, our focus has been on the children in our schools who would be negatively impacted by this policy. “This focus remains and we will be defending the rights of families who have chosen independent education but who may no longer be able to do so as a direct result of an unprecedented education tax.”

The government predicts that private school fees could rise by an average of 10% due to the introduction of VAT. It projects that about 35,000 pupils will transfer to state schools over time, as well as an additional 2,000 students leaving private institutions, including international pupils. European diplomats have called for the international institutions to retain the exemption.

The German and French ambassadors to the UK, Miguel Berger and Hélène Duchêne, said international schools were distinct from British private schools because the option of transferring to the British state sector was not always realistic for their pupils.

“For expats coming here for two, three or four years wanting their children to go back to the national system, their only option is to go to these schools,” Berger said.

He said, “We would really like to see the British government recognise the importance of these schools – not only for our political and cultural relations but also for the people this will affect.”

Meanwhile, a total of 37,000 pupils leaving or never entering the sector equates to about 6% of the current private school population, the government said. On Wednesday, the government said it would increase the funding allocated to the continuity of education allowance (CEA), which supports mobile military and diplomatic families with boarding school fees for their children, before the imposition of VAT on private schools next year.

It came after warnings from staff they could quit the armed forces if they were not given help before the VAT changes. But the ISC remains concerned about the impact of the VAT policy on small faith schools, specialist arts and music provision and on thousands of children with special educational needs and disabilities in private schools.

The ISC has said the legal case will focus on claims of breaches of the European convention on human rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. It will be separate from other litigation but the ISC will be liaising with these other third-party groups. A pre-action letter about plans for high court action will be issued to the government shortly.

Earlier, members of a campaign group opposing plans to apply VAT to private school fees targeted Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, with personal abuse, accusing her of aping the tactics of Nazi Germany and labelling her a “vile hag”.

A series of messages on the private Facebook group run by the campaign body Education Not Taxation: Parents Against School Fee VAT (ENT), seen by the Observer, levelled personal attacks on Phillipson. One message read: “1930s Germany targeted the Jewish minority on the basis of their perceived privilege Bridget Phillipson. Just like you going after the 500,000 children in private school. Who cares though eh? Firstly they are only 7%, and secondly, they are not Keir Starmer’s kids.”

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1 November 2024
Pakistan’s $7b IMF deal in trouble, tax hikes loom

The IMF is again pressuring Pakistan to let the rupee further devalue; although as per Dar’s views the rupee is already undervalued by at least 16 per cent…reports Asian Lite News

The key assumptions used to finalise Pakistan’s USD 7 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has gone haywire within a month of its approval, leaving the authorities concerned with an option either to renegotiate the package or keep suffocating the economy through more taxes, the Express Tribune reported.

As per the Express Tribune, official statistics show that out of four key underlying assumptions for achieving the nearly Pakistani Rs13 trillion tax target, the economic growth rate, inflation, large-scale manufacturing and imports, three assumptions have already proven wrong by the end of the first quarter of the current fiscal year in Pakistan.

The federal government of Pakistan overly committed on behalf of the four provincial governments. Those too, are struggling to meet their conditions soon after the deal became effective.

The official statistics for the first quarter (July-September) revealed that from the Federal Board of Revenue’s tax collection target to provincial cash surpluses, everything has gone off the mark.

Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar has also publicly spoken against the market-determined exchange rate regime, which is another core objective of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility, Express Tribune reported.

The IMF is again pressuring Pakistan to let the rupee further devalue; although as per Dar’s views the rupee is already undervalued by at least 16 per cent.

The IMF deal is facing serious implementation challenges even sooner than many had predicted, underscoring how badly it had been knitted by the negotiators from both sides. The Express Tribune had reported that Pakistan finalised a wrong deal with the IMF, which might soon derail.

The sources said that except for the GDP growth, which remains within the assumption range of 3 per ceny, the other three autonomous growth indicators namely inflation, imports and large scale manufacturing, went off the mark in the first quarter.

The contingency measures that the IMF has finalized in case of missing the tax target would further suffocate the economic growth and lower the home take incomes of the majority of the taxpayers, as per the Express Tribune.

The situation warrants a holistic review of the IMF deal, as even a mini-budget cannot help to achieve the unrealistic target due to multiple factors.

As per Express Tribune, the Pakistan government has set aside Pakistani Rs9.8 trillion for the debt servicing on the basis of an average interest rate of 17.5 per cent for this fiscal year. However, due to faster than anticipated slowdown in inflation, the interest rates may see a major cut, as indicated by the Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday.

For this fiscal year, the IMF has given Rs12.92 trillion tax targets and the government imposed at least Rs1.2 trillion worth additional taxes in addition to promising additional collection from traders and businesses through enforcement measures.

According to the Express Tribune, the GST collection at the import stage had been projected at Rs629 billion but it remained at Pakistani Rs482 billion due to 8 per cent increase in imports in the first quarter. This created a shortfall of Rs147 billion, which was largely filled on the income tax side due to increased tax rates and taking some advances. The higher return filing also gave Rs55 billion windfall to the FBR in the first quarter.

Due to single-digit growth in imports, the custom duties collection remained at Rs276 billion as against the estimated Rs266 billion.

The situation is going to further aggravate for the second quarter (October-December) period. Due to wrong assumptions at the time of signing the deal, the FBR fears that it may take another additional hit of at least Rs254 billion.

Express Tribune noted that the publicly available indicators suggest that the FBR may again face an additional shortfall of Pakistani Rs125 billion on account of a low collection of sales tax and excise duties at the domestic stage. The impact of import compression is also estimated at Pakistani Rs320 billion on account of all import taxes.

Some of these adverse impacts would be offset by about Rs225 billion excess collection of income tax on the back of higher tax rates.

It was also observed that the provincial governments too, could not show the required cash surpluses of Pakistani Rs342 billion and fell short of the target by Pakistani Rs182 billion in the first quarter. This would further dent the primary budget surplus goal. (ANI)

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1 November 2024
Rahul, Priyanka remember grandmother Indira on her death anniversary

Rahul paid floral tributes to the leader at Shakti Sthal in the national capital and shared a video on X highlighting her life achievements….reports Asian Lite News

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday paid tributes to their grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary, saying that her sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the nation inspires everyone.

In a post on social media platform X, Rahul said: “Panditji’s Indu, Bapu’s beloved, fearless, brave, justice-loving – India’s Indira!”

“Grandma, your sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the nation will always inspire all of us on the path of public service,” his post in Hindi read.

He paid floral tributes to the leader at Shakti Sthal in the national capital and shared a video on X highlighting her life achievements.

The video said: “She was Indira, who dreamt of freedom… Indira, who holding Bapu’s hand, stood fearlessly against an empire (British).”

“She became the first woman prime minister of the country with support from all quarters. She created a mass movement with the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’ (eradicate poverty). She nationalised the banks, and with the green revolution ‘Harit Kranti’, farmers’ crop produce increased. She scripted history by changing India’s image from that of a smiling Buddha to a nuclear power. Winning Bangladesh’s liberation war, she changed the geography. She fulfilled the promise of shedding every drop of blood for the country. Fearless, Priyadarshini, Indira…. India’s Indira,” it said.

Priyanka, in a post on X, said: “Your dedication to the country, your sacrifice; the lessons we learned from you and the traditions you imparted will always be our guide. Salute to your martyrdom.”

Priyanka shared the sequence of events on the unfateful day when Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

Recalling the pain and horror, Priyanka in a video said: “I was 12 years old and had a competition in the school. Our grandmother used to carry a bag and I asked for it. Then I left for school. After two hours, security personnel came to our school, rushed us into a car and drove us back home. We did not have any clue about what had happened. When we reached our house nobody was at home. We were terrified when we came to know that our grandmother was assassinated.”

“We were terrified thinking whether such a great personality could be assassinated. She was a motherly figure for us. And she instilled so much patriotism in our hearts that our faith in the country was not broken for even a minute or a second,” she said.

The Congress in a post on X said: “Tributes to Indira Gandhi who sacrificed everything for the unity and integrity of the country.”

Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, by two of her bodyguards.

ALSO READ: Al Fayed’s victims call for Harrods boycott

1 November 2024
Al Fayed’s victims call for Harrods boycott

Three victims of Fayed’s abuse posed with tote bags with the Harrods logo crossed out during a press conference by the Justice for Harrods Survivors group….reports Asian Lite News

Former Harrods staff who were sexually abused by Mohamed Al Fayed have called for a boycott of the luxury store as it was revealed that more than 400 victims of his predatory behaviour had come forward.

Three victims of Fayed’s abuse posed with tote bags with the Harrods logo crossed out during a press conference by the Justice for Harrods Survivors group.

Lawyers for the group revealed they had been approached by 421 people, most of whom alleged they were sexually abused or harassed by Fayed when he was the owner of Harrods from 1985-2010. Bruce Drummond KC, at New Bailey Chambers, said: “That is industrial scale abuse – abuse that could have only been perpetrated with a system that enabled the abuse to happen.

“The majority of those contacting us are from the UK but the claims against Harrods and Fayed are still coming in from all around the world: Canada, Asia, Australia, America and Europe.”

One of the victims, who wanted to be identified only as Lindsay, described Harrods as “a store that enabled the rape and sexual abuse of so many young and innocent women … So we don’t think that people should be shopping there. We think they should be going elsewhere.”

Jen, who was backing a boycott, said: “It’s horrifying and it’s incredibly sad – we thought there were only few of us that went through this, and we’re realising it’s hundreds and hundreds of women over a 25- to 30-year period.” Lawyers for the survivors questioned the independence of Harrods’ own investigation into Fayed’s behaviour when he was the chair. The barrister Maria Mulla asked: “Who from Harrods designed and is leading this ongoing internal review? Did anyone who was still within the business from the Al Fayed’s time, recuse themselves from discussion over the design and execution of this review?”

She confirmed that four of Fayed’s victims had withdrawn from a settlement scheme set up by Harrods, over concerns that it was being managed by a consultant who had been employed at the store when Fayed was chair.

Asked how many “enablers” of Fayed’s alleged sexual misconduct had been identified by the group, Mulla said: “It was a very large web. Some of them are still alive – it’s not in our ability to name names or announce who those individuals are.”

The lawyers also confirmed the first letter of claim had been sent to the London department store. “It’s the first of hundreds to come; it’s going to snowball and snowball,” Drummond said.

Six of the accusers are Australian women. Drummond told Australian broadcaster ABC on Thursday that five were employed at Harrods and one worked for a supplier. All were in their 20s.

“It was the most wonderful thing they had, quite understandably, working for this amazing store, working for this very powerful individual who was a billionaire … then a lot of them, after they had been subjected to this horrific ordeal, fled [back to Australia],” he said.

The Metropolitan police asked prosecutors to decide whether to charge the former Harrods and Fulham FC owner in relation to only two of 21 women who made allegations, including of rape and sexual assault, between 2005 and 2023.

Evidence was shown to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2009 and 2015 but it decided not to proceed with either because there was not “a realistic prospect of conviction”. Dean Armstrong KC said many of the victims were sceptical about the police investigations. He said: “In lots of cases there are trust issues, because a lot of our survivors in their hours of need went to the police and little or nothing was done.”

Jen said after helping Vanity Fair with an article about Fayed’s abuse, she was contacted by John Mcnamara, a former Met detective. She said: “I was contacted by John Mcnamara, who was then head of security from Mohamed, who asked me to think very carefully about my involvement in Vanity Fair and just to remind me that he knew where I lived and he knew where my parents lived, and wouldn’t it be terrible if something would happen to either them or myself? It’s that kind of terror that kept us all so quiet for so long.”

Fayed died in 2023 at the age of 94.\

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1 November 2024
One Nation, One Election is impossible, says Kharge

Prime Minister Modi said that the BJP-led Central government was working towards achieving ‘One Nation, One Election’, and Secular Civil Code….reports Asian Lite News

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday dismissed Prime Minister Modi’s comments on ‘One Nation, One Election,’ saying that the initiative is impossible without consensus in Parliament.

Speaking to reporters, Congress President Kharge said, “What PM Modi has said, he will not do it, because when it comes in the parliament, he has to take everybody into confidence, then only this will happen. This is impossible, ‘One Nation One Election’ is impossible.”

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi said that the BJP-led Central government was working towards achieving ‘One Nation, One Election’, and Secular Civil Code.

Addressing the National Unity Day parade in Gujarat’s Kevadia, Prime Minister Modi said, “We are now working towards One Nation One Election, which will strengthen India’s democracy, give optimum outcome of India’s resources and the country will gain new momentum in achieving the dream of a developed India. Today, India is moving towards One Nation One Civil Code that is a Secular Civil Code.”

He also said that earlier, there were different tax systems in India, but BJP-led Central government created the One Nation, One Tax System- GST.

“Today we are all seeing the success of One Nation Identity- Aadhar and the world is also discussing it. Earlier, there were different tax systems in India, but we created the One Nation One Tax System- GST,” he said.

“We strengthened the country’s power sector with One Nation One Power Grid. We integrated the facilities available to the poor through One Nation One Ration Card. We have provided the facility of One Nation One Health Insurance to the people of the country in the form of Aayushman Bharat,” he said.

Notably, on September 18, the Union Cabinet approved the government’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, which proposes simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, with urban body and panchayat polls to be held within 100 days.

The recommendations were made in a report of a high panel committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. (ANI)

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1 November 2024
Haley calls Trump campaign ‘overly masculine’

According to a USA Today poll, women backed Harris by a margin of 17 per cent, while Trump led among men by a margin of 16 per cent..reports Asian Lite News

Nikki Haley, who ran a prolonged, but unsuccessful, battle against former President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, has criticised his campaign strategy as “overly masculine” turning off some women, but offered to pitch in.

“This is not a time for them (Trump campaign) to get overly masculine with this bromance thing that they’ve got going (when) 53 per cent of the electorate are women,” Haley, who became the first Indian American to become a US cabinet member, said in an interview to Fox News on Tuesday.

According to a USA Today poll, women backed Harris by a margin of 17 per cent, while Trump led among men by a margin of 16 per cent.

Speaking a week before the election that polls indicate is tied, she said, “Women will vote. They care about how they’re being talked to and they care about the issues. They need to remember that. This is a time of discipline and this is a time of addition.”

But she clarified that “there’s no bad blood between me and the president”.

“We want Donald Trump to win. I respect his campaign and what they need”, she added.

Haley said that Trump’s campaign had not reached out to her, but “they are very aware that we are on standby — they know that we would be there to help”.

In contrast to Haley, the first Hindu elected to Congress, Tulsi Gabbard, is actively involved in the Trump campaign and reportedly helped Trump prepare for his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.

She formally announced at a rally with Trump that she is joining the Republican Party and has been canvassing for him in swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

A lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, Gabbard served in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021 as a Democrat.

She made an unsuccessful run for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2020.

Haley also criticised the way some backing Trump insulted women and minorities.

“This bromance and this masculinity stuff, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable,” she said, using a colloquial term for “romance of brothers”, meaning male bonding.

She referred to the racist jokes about Latinos and Puerto Ricans and sexist attacks on Harris at Trump’s Sunday Rally at the Madison Square Garden, as well as an ad that plays on an extremely ugly double entendre against her.

The New York Times reported that when the Republican vice presidential candidate was asked why she wasn’t campaigning, he said he did not know and that he is open to her joining.

Haley was the last candidate to drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

After a bitter campaign of harsh rhetoric on both sides, she ended her run in March and endorsed Trump.

Haley served for two years as the US Permanent Representative to the UN, which is a cabinet-level position in the US.

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31 October 2024
60% Indian-Americans lean Harris, 30% favour Trump

The outcomes of Indian-American Attitudes Survey 2024, conducted by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with YouGov, were published on Monday…reports Asian Lite News

Around 60 per cent of the Indian-American the community that are US citizens and eligible to vote, intend to cast their ballot for the Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and about 30 per cent plan to vote for former President Donald Trump in the next month’s Presidential elections, according to a survey by a leading think-tank with an expert noting that there is a modest shift away from the Democratic Party and greater support for Trump and the Republicans.

Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and Director of the South Asia Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told ANI that Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan are important swing states where Indian-Americans are large enough in numbers to be greater than the margin between the two Presidential nominees.

The outcomes of Indian-American Attitudes Survey 2024, conducted by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with YouGov, were published on Monday.

Milan Vaishnav said it was a follow up of survey they did four years back.

“This is a new survey, that we just released on Monday. It’s actually a follow-up to a survey we did in 2020 on the eve of that year’s US Presidential elections. It’s one of the first systematic surveys that we did nationally representative surveys of Indian-Americans across the United States, across all 50 states and we thought it was important again with a pivotal election just days away that we take a fresh look at how Indian-Americans are thinking about the vote. I think our headline finding is that around 60 per cent of the Indian-American community that are citizens, so therefore eligible to vote, intend to cast their ballot for the Democratic Nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, about 30 per cent plan to vote for Former Republican President Donald Trump,” he said.

“I think it’s important to point out that this does represent a shift from what we found four years ago we see a modest shift away from the Democratic Party and greater support for Trump and the Republicans in November 2024,” he added.

Vaishnav spoke of gender gap and said it’s first important to disaggregate the shift.

He said according to the survey, larger number of Indian American women voting for Vice President Harris, but men were less supportive of her candidacy.

“One of the most striking findings that we found, and this is an entirely new thing right now, is that there is a very big gender gap which has opened up within the community. We have traditionally not seen Indian-American men and Indian-American women voting very differently. Their preferences seem to be more or less aligned. But this time we see a discrepancy. A larger number of Indian-American women voting for Vice President Harris, but men less supportive of her candidacy. So in fact, almost the entirety of the shift away from the Democratic nominee towards Trump is driven by Indian-American men, and within that, Indian-American men who are below the age of 40,” he said.

“And one thing that we’ve seen throughout this election cycle is across different demographic communities, African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans as well, that there does seem to be this gender divide with young men voting very differently from other members of their community,” he added.

Elaborating on gender divide among voters, Vaishnav listed several factors including inflation.

“When you ask Indian-American voters why they don’t associate themselves with the Democratic Party, why is that they choose not to identify with the party that it has long been the natural home for Indian-Americans for the last several election cycles, they say things like and they believe that the democratic party is too weak on illegal immigration, they are quite concerned about inflation, about prices, about job opportunities and a significant percentage of them believe that the Democrats and left has been too involved in identity politics. So these are some of the things that we are seeing in the data, particularly amongst men,” he said.

He said Indian-American communities is one most politically active communities.

“We have a community that is growing very rapidly that has grown by more than 50 per cent between 2010-2020. In some ways, this is a very new community as 70 per cent of people of Indian origin either arrived in the United States or were born after the year 2000. We sometimes think of the Indian-American community as quite old in the US, but in fact the bulk of that population is quite new. When you look at their settlement patterns, you see in particular states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Michigan, are four of the most important that swing states. Indian Americans now are large enough in terms of numbers to be greater than the margin of victory between the two Presidential nominees…” he said.

“If you look at any measure of socioeconomic performance, take median household income, take average household educational attainment, Indian-Americans are truly outliers. Even among Asian Americans, their performance rates off the charts. And so that means that they are seen by both political parties as sought-after donors, as influencers in their community, as vote mobilizers. So I think we’re seeing both the Republican side as well as Democratic side really kind of try and pull out all the stops to try and nudge those few undecideds towards either side,” he added.

Vaishnav said the Indian-American voter behaviour is driven largely by bread and butter issues in some sense that is pretty consistent with how American voters across the board vote.

“So this tops the three issues that concern the Americans when it comes to how they will cast their ballot on election day. The first is inflation and prices, that’s something that has been dominating news coverage over the past year or so. Number two is jobs in the economy, another economic issue – 13 per cent of respondents said that’s the most important issue but it’s tied with the third issue that is very salient, especially for democratic partisans and for women, which is abortion.”

“One of the striking findings from this report actually is how salient abortion has become this electoral cycle as an issue when we ask people, for instance, if you had to contribute money to a charity right what sort of charity would you be interested in giving money to you one of the top responses is an organization that is pro-choice that is trying to expand abortion access and reproductive freedoms. So this is something that has been a real, a kind of contentious issue in the American public, and we’re seeing it show up in this data as well,” he said.

Vaishnav said there are five Indian-American members of Congress and that number may go up to seven.

“We have two Democratic candidates who are in tight races, one in Arizona, one in Virginia. So five could become seven. Of course we are seeing for the first time a presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, who has an Indian origin. We are seeing voters being catered to in ways that we’ve never seen before, but I think there’s something else also that we should acknowledge and it’s harder to quantify and see, but if you look at the corridors of political power and who is making important decisions behind the scenes in places like the White House, the state department, the treasury department, you name it, Indian- Americans are increasing their numbers in those places,” he said.

“As staffers on Capitol Hill working for members of Congress and senators. I expect that those trends are only going to increase, and I think that’s another very important source of Indian-American strength within the larger ecosystem of politics and policy in this country,” he added. (ANI)

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31 October 2024
Biden’s gaffe gives Trump a boost

His remarks, made in response to a comedian’s derogatory comment about Puerto Rico at a Donald Trump rally, have opened a door for Trump to shift focus away from his own controversial campaign tactics…reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden has inadvertently thrust him back into the political spotlight just a week before the US Presidential Elections following his comment during a virtual event defending Puerto Ricans, CNN reported on Wednesday.

His remarks, made in response to a comedian’s derogatory comment about Puerto Rico at a Donald Trump rally, have opened a door for Trump to shift focus away from his own controversial campaign tactics.

Biden criticised the comedian’s description of Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” asserting that the people of Puerto Rico are “good, decent, and honourable.” However, his defence sparked a political uproar, detracting from Vice President Kamala Harris’s key closing speech on Tuesday evening, CNN reported.

“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico ‘a floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something… I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know… or Puerto Rico where I’m–in my home state of Delaware–they’re good, decent, honourable people,” Biden said during his virtual remarks in a get-out-the-vote call meant to help Harris.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said, adding, “His demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”

The White House quickly attempted to clarify Biden’s remarks, stating he was referring to the “hateful rhetoric” at the Trump rally rather than the former president’s supporters. Biden himself took to social media to explain that his use of “garbage” referred to the comments made about Puerto Rico, not to Trump’s supporters, as reported by CNN.

“Earlier today, I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage–which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation,” Biden wrote on X.

Biden’s remarks drew immediate parallels to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment in 2016, which became a rallying cry for Trump and his supporters. In the aftermath, Harris felt compelled to address the controversy on Wednesday, emphasising her belief in representing all voters, regardless of their political affiliations, CNN reported.

“Listen, I think, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” the Democratic nominee said. “You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not,” Harris said.

“I am sincere in what I mean: when elected president of the United States, I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me, and address their needs and their desires,” she added.

However, Trump wasted no time seizing upon Biden’s comments. At a rally, he referenced Biden’s words, suggesting they were worse than Clinton’s, and positioned his campaign as one that welcomes diverse support from various demographic groups. The Trump campaign quickly framed Biden’s remarks as indicative of a broader disdain for his supporters, as reported by CNN.

“Wow. That’s terrible. That’s what it says. That’s what it says. So, you have, remember Hillary, she said ‘deplorable’ and then she said ‘irredeemable,’ right? But she said deplorable; that didn’t work out. ‘Garbage’ I think is worse, right?” Trump said.

Trump takes jibe

Meanwhile, Donald Trump climbed up a campaign-themed garbage truck in Wisconsin on Wednesday, seizing on President Joe Biden’s remarks in which he appeared to label Trump supporters as “garbage,” as reported by The Hill.

“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honour of Kamala and Joe Biden,” Trump said from the passenger seat, which featured a Trump campaign sticker and flag. His campaign staff widely circulated photos of the event as photographers captured the moment, The Hill reported.

The Trump campaign is working to leverage the outrage among his supporters over Biden’s comment, with Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris seeking to distance herself from it.

Biden faced backlash after he seemingly compared Trump supporters to ‘garbage’ while discussing a racially charged joke made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally, which referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage,” The Hill reported.

Following his remark, Biden inadvertently thrust him back into the political spotlight just a week before the US presidential elections.

Biden criticised the comedian’s description of Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” asserting that the people of Puerto Rico are “good, decent, and honourable.” However, his defence sparked a political uproar, detracting from Vice President Kamala Harris’s key closing speech on Tuesday evening, CNN reported.

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31 October 2024
Sunak bows out as Opposition leader on Diwali

The 44-year-old, who has served as interim leader of the Conservatives following the party’s general election loss in July, took his final Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons as an opportunity for a light-hearted exchange with Prime Minister Keir Starmer….reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak bowed out as UK Opposition Leader in Parliament on Wednesday with a reference to his career’s Diwali milestones, being appointed the country’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage two years ago during the Festival of Lights.

The 44-year-old, who has been serving as interim leader of the Conservatives until a new Tory leader is elected after the party’s general election defeat in July, used his final Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons for a light-hearted exchange with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“I became leader of my party during Diwali and I now stand down during that same festival”, said Sunak.

“I’m proud to have been the first British Asian Prime Minister, and I am even prouder that it was not that big a deal; and that speaks volumes about the values of the British people, of our country and of this Parliament. So will the Prime Minister join me in applauding the kindness, decency and tolerance that has always been the British way”, he said.

It was during Diwali in October 2022 that Sunak, joined by wife Akshata and daughters Krishna and Anoushka, entered 10 Downing Street and went on to adorn its steps with diyas and rangoli for two consecutive years.

Starmer said all sections of the British Parliament were proud to have had Sunak “representing our diverse country” as Prime Minister. He also paid tribute to the outgoing Opposition Leader’s “hard work, commitment and decency” despite their many political disagreements.

“I wish everyone celebrating in the UK and around the world a joyful Diwali, a time to come together to celebrate and focus on a brighter future”, said Starmer.

“Last Diwali, the Leader of the Opposition (Sunak) and his family lit the diyas outside 10 Downing Street. It was a significant moment in our national story. The first British Asian Prime Minister is a reminder that this is a country where people of every background have fulfilled their dreams, and it makes us all proud to be British”, added Starmer, who followed up the trend set by his Indian-origin predecessor to light diyas on the steps of 10 Downing Street on Tuesday evening to mark Diwali.

Alluding to some media speculation around his relocation plans to California, Sunak jokingly reiterated his intention to take his place on the backbenches of the Commons as member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton in Yorkshire.

“Today is my last appearance at PMQs, and I am happy to confirm reports that I will now be spending more time in the greatest place on earth, where the scenery is indeed worthy of a movie set and everybody is a character – that’s right, if anyone needs me, I will be in Yorkshire”, he said, evoking much laughter among his parliamentary colleagues.

The Tory leadership election is set to conclude on Saturday, when one of Sunak’s former Cabinet colleagues – Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick – will be declared leader of the Conservatives to take Sunak’s place as Leader of the Opposition.

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31 October 2024