London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office on Friday apologized for a ‘mistake’ in the planning of Diwali at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s official residence and office. Let us tell you that some British Hindus objected to serving non-vegetarian food and alcohol during Diwali celebrations. Although the statement did not directly address the event’s menu, a spokesperson for Starmer’s office said the team has assured the community that this will not be repeated in the future.
‘We guarantee it won’t happen again’
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister was delighted to welcome the various communities celebrating Diwali to Downing Street. He praised the significant contribution of the British Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities to our country and the Government’s inspiration for shared values of hard work, ambition and aspiration. There was a mistake in planning the program. We understand the strength of feelings on this issue and therefore apologize to the community and assure them that this will not happen again.
MP Shivani Raja wrote a letter to PM Starr
The statement comes a day after British Indian Conservative Party MP Shivani Raja sent a formal letter to the Starr, expressing concern that the Diwali celebrations organized at 10 Downing Street violate the customs and traditions of many Hindus. That was not the case. His letter posted on social media read, ‘I think this is the bad thing about this year’s event. This was a disappointing lack of knowledge about the customs and traditions held dear by many British citizens.’
A Diwali gathering was organized on 29th October
In a letter to Starmer, Shivani said, ‘As a Hindu representing thousands of Hindus in my constituency of Leicester East, I am deeply saddened to hear that this year’s festival has been marred by negativity due to this mistake.’ Let us tell you that the event held on October 29 was the first Diwali gathering in Downing Street after the Labor Party election four months ago.
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