Indian citizens of foreign origin have been taking as much interest in the lok Sabha election as the others, yet we never hear of political parties wooing them for votes. This constituency remains low-profile by and large
Do not be surprised if you find somebody of foreign origin standing next to you to cast his or her vote in this lok Sabha election. Yes, they may not look like you do, but they are taking a keen interest in the election, from judging candidates to scanning the manifestos of various parties. India is home to a large number of people of foreign origin. Some of them were born here and others have moved to this country and embraced India.
Mr George Chiu, 62, is one among those people of foreign origin who cast their votes in this election. When I met him, he was sitting comfortably in his shop in the capital’s life and soul, Connaught Place, scanning election-related news in the papers even as his staff was busy dealing with customers. Mr Chiu is hungry to read more. He is eager to discuss the political combinations and permutations that are shaping up and the impact of vote-bank politics. Mr Chiu has no ill-will that his Chinese community didn’t get the attention from any party, leave alone become a vote-bank for them.
Not ready to reveal the party he will vote for in the forthcoming election, Mr Chiu says he ensured that he cast his vote as early as possible as he had to open his shop. Mr Chiu is a second-generation Chinese-Indian. His father migrated from Canton to Kolkata, then known as Calcutta, in 1920 to find greener pastures.
Meet Katsu Sain, 75, a scholar from Japan, who came to India back in 1956 to explore Buddhism and peace. When you speak to her in English, she answers in shuddh Hindi. “I have learnt Hindi from Kaka Saheb Kalelkar in the capital”, she says. Ms Sain took Indian citizenship more than two decades ago. Closely associated with a Buddha temple in the capital, she says, “I hope that any party which takes over the reins of the Government post-lok sabha election, serves the interests of the people. They ought to be sensitive towards our people. I only hope that new Government would not leave any stone unturned to eradicate poverty and injustice. That is the least I expect.”
Mr Chiu and Ms Sain may not be like you and me, but they are proud Indians. The likes of Mr Chiu face no hurdle in getting Indian citizenship as they were born here. According to one estimate, India has more than two lakh people of foreign origin with voting rights. Many of them cast their votes in the Assembly and the lok Sabha elections.
India’s large Tibetan community is also happy as it can vote this time. Karten Tsering and his fellow Tibetans in various parts of the country are excited to exercise their franchise. last month, the Election Commission had issued a directive that all Tibetans born in India between 1950 and 1987 will be eligible to vote in the lok Sabha election for the first time. There are thousands of Tibetans living in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and other parts of the country.
Ms Gillian Wright is a celebrated translator in English, Hindi and Urdu. She hails from Britain, but her love for Hindi and Urdu brought her to India in 1977 to study the two languages deeply. “I thought that unless I visit and stay in India, I will not able to do justice with my work. Once I came here, I translated the path-breaking Aadha Gaon, a novel by Rahi Masoom Raza and Srilal Shukla’s equally great novel, Raag Darbari”, she says. Ms Wright regrets that she will not be able to vote as she has not yet got an Indian citizenship, though she has applied for it.
What are her expectations from the new GovernmentIJ She is clear: “I hope that the new Government will work hard to make our rivers clean. When I came to Delhi, the Yamuna was very clean and the capital was truly a green capital. Since then, the Yamuna has turned into a stinking river. I wish that the new Government will chalk out a plan to clean the Yamuna”, Ms Wright says.
Just like there are voters of foreign origin in India, there are many Indian-origin voters and indeed lawmakers all over the world. Starting with Chedi Jagan, who became the first Indian-origin President of Guyana back in the early 1960s, we now have many persons of Indian-origin who have reached top positions in their adopted countries. These include the likes of Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who was the first Prime Minister of Mauritius (his son Naveen Ramgoolam is the incumbent head of state), Mr Mahendra Choudhary, who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Fiji, and Mr Basdeo Panday, who was the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago between 1995 and 2001.
The list of Indian-origin lawmakers abroad is a long one. You will find such leaders across the world — from the US, the UK and Canada to Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore and Kenya. In fact, in Kenya, Ms Sunjeev Kaur Birdi was recently nominated to Parliament. She is the first Indian-origin Sikh lady to receive this honour, not just in Kenya but in all of Africa.