Today Sikhs for Labour will be officially launched at the House of Commons, with Labour leader Ed Miliband and the shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper as the keynote guests.

Other parties, especially the Conservatives, have been trying to make inroads into the Sikh community, so we can no longer assume that the Labour party is the natural home for Sikhs. However, there has been a renewed energy to bring Sikhs together under the leadership of the new chair of Sikhs for Labour, Neena Gill, to campaign for Labour to ensure Ed Miliband becomes prime minister and that we get a majority Labour government.

As Gill told me, the aim of Sikhs for Labour ‘is to engage Sikhs in the political process, to listen to them, to act on their feedback and to harness their talents and energy in shaping what Labour might be’. Ultimately, Sikhs are pragmatic and we know that we have to win elections to put our values and the Labour party’s values in to practice. As Gill put it: ‘we will never take for granted the Sikh communities’ vote. We want to mobilise Sikhs to campaign and vote for Labour in the 2014 elections and most importantly the general election in 2015 but we have to give people a positive reason to do so and demonstrate that they have a real stake in the Labour party’.

Sikh values of egalitarianism, equality, social justice, upholding human rights and protecting those who are weaker than us chime well with the core values of the Labour party but times change and aspirations change. The future British Sikh generations have different aspirations to their forbears and political parties have to adapt to this change. Sikhs for Labour are under no illusion as to the scale of the task. Unfortunately disengagement in politics pervades society and is not unique to Sikhs but we have to reject the pessimism that we cannot bring about change working together, across communities the length and breadth of Britain. Sikhism was forged in the midst of the heart of two great civilisations and religions and yet carved out its own uniqueness by challenging the status quo and challenging the current power structures of the time.

Britain is our home now and we want to see it prosper and deliver for all. The choice is clear between a Tory party which always speaks for the few at the top and a Labour party which does, with the help of Sikhs for Labour and other BAME Labour organisations, reach out to every corner of this nation.

Sikhs fought in two world wars, we must now fight for the future of this country together.

Vijay Singh Riyait is a city councillor in Leicester and a member of the Progress strategy board

Sikhs for Labour are planning campaign days, events, training, and discussions on policy. You can get in touch and share your ideas here.

———————————

Photo: Maureen Barlin