MELBOURNE: Intense debates have been taking place within the Indian Diaspora deeply influenced by India’s noisy multi-party democracy, after the Indian PM’s Sydney visit was announced for the now cancelled Quad Summit on 24 May.
Despite the Quad summit being cancelled after US President Joe Biden not coming because of domestic compulsions, PM Modi, anyway, is likely to go ahead with his visit to Australia. His visit to Australia is yet to be confirmed by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and hence his Sydney engagements officially not known.
On 23 May a big reception for PM Modi is planned by the a newly formed Indian Diaspora body, Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF).
The reception is likely to take place at the Sydney Olympic Park, with the Australian PM Antony Albanese also addressing it. The IADF in a Tweet has claimed 20,000 people have registered for the event.
“The Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation will organise and host a community reception to honour the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during his upcoming visit to Australia. The reception has been organized with the support of Australia based Welcome Partner Organisations and local volunteers,” says the IADF website.
India Diaspora organisations have been roped in and people are being registered for the reception. “Your registration will go through a verification process before your free pass is allocated to you and/or your family, “the site says.
The euphoria over PM Modi’s visit has been marred by recent incidents of desecration of Hindu temples with pro Khalistan and anti- Modi slogans and referendums on Punjab, vitiated the atmosphere within the Diaspora, taking the form of heated posts on the social media. Diaspora What’s App groups, ethnic media outlets and radio groups have seen pro and anti-Modi groups regularly pass messages or discuss issues.
After a recent incident, detectives investigating the vandalism of a temple on 5 May, 2023 in Rosehill, NSW, detectives released an image of a vehicle last seen travelling in the area and a second image is of a person recorded as being in the vicinity of the temple about the same time. The person depicted is dressed in dark clothing, wearing a dark beanie and a face mask.
The affray at Melbourne’s Federation Square between pro Punjab referendum and anti- referendum rallyists and the earlier offensive graffiti on Hindu temples walls led to a few arrests but the alleged culprits remain elusive. The state of police investigations is not known.
“It is only natural that when a politician from India visits Australia, which is home to a large Indian diaspora, reactions to the visit from the members of the diaspora would be different. Based on their political views, some would be elated, while others may not be as enthusiastic,” says Dr Pradeep Taneja, an Academic Fellow of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Talking to South Asia Times (SAT), Mr. Sanjay Deshwal. President Little India Harris Park Association, Sydney says “the Indian PM’s coming here should excite the Diaspora as Australia-India relations are good. The signing of the free trade agreement and more Indian international students coming here is a positive sign.
“There have been banners against the Indian PM here. People have the right to open up their hearts. But defacing temples was no good. Bringing in Indian political issues here will not help.
Propagating one’s lingering ideology or Indian political views in Australia is no good for the Diaspora,” he said.
The release of ‘The Kerala Story’, an Indian movie here has invited a religious vilification complaint with the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission by the Alliance Against Islamophobia, alleging negative portrayal of the Islamic community. Anyway, the movie is running across Australia and many have shown support for it on social media. One screening organiser in Sydney, Yogesh Kumar says, this movie is not anti-Muslim’.
Reports indicate possible protest actions during PM Modi’s Sydney visit and the screening of the controversial BBC documentary – India: The Modi Question, on the Gujarat riots in 2002 at the Australian Parliament. No doubt, the shadow of the world’s largest democracy and its issues within the vibrant Indian Diaspora will remain. Many Indian organisations contacted by South Asia Times (SAT) declined to comment. This is not surprising, as for some, things will happen anyway.
The grapevine says the Indian PM now will be in Australia for bilateral discussions. Both countries have good relations. The fast growing Indian Diaspora is not different or aloof from issues that engulf the new homeland Australia, or the happenings in India. One is reminded of ‘The Argumentative Indian’ written by Nobel Prize winning Indian economist Amartya Sen, focussing on the traditions of public debate and intellectual pluralism. The Indian Diaspora lives in that tradition.
