Several Indians settled abroad have started coming to India for campaigning for the parties they support since the declaration of the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections. NRIs coming to India to help the parties they think are better at governing is a regular exercise.
A Congress leader said “As the general elections are nearing, the people living in Western countries and Middle East, who believe that Congress should win against the BJP, have started pouring into India to help the grand old party and play a substantial role in the campaigning.”
Secretary, Indian Overseas Congress, Virendra Vashisht told The Sunday Guardian, “As of now 3,000 volunteers, from all communities, are planning to join us. They will come and campaign. A few days ago, more than 200 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) including some truckers came to India and campaigned for Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad. They had come from the Middle East and the United States.”
“They will share their experience regarding the decadal change on all the important fronts. Like earlier the social fabric of Indian society was intact. All the communities used to live peacefully as there was no division based on religious lines. When they go out and live in vibrant democracies, they find that India has become less democratic for they are ultimately Indians and will, by default, compare India with other democracies. They think that our democracy is in danger and there is less equal treatment to religions. They think that the Constitution is under threat,” Vashisht claimed.
In the last general elections, Congress received around 2,000 NRI supporters who ventured out to help the party. Congress says that this time the volunteers from abroad will not only help the grand old party but also lend their support to the parties who come under the I.N.D.I.A umbrella.
A Congress leader said, “There are many reasons why they come to campaign or volunteer to help the Congress. At times a leader who is contesting for constitutional position gets support from his friends and family who are living outside India. Sometimes they think they should contribute for their favourite party and they come for that as well.”
A political observer associated with the BJP said, “Even BJP receives NRIs who want to help the party. And people who have visited India during recent times have seen the developments happening at a good pace so based on that they will help the saffron camp.
However, such activities hardly help electorally at the time of elections. People of Gujarat and other places in the Hindi belt who have established themselves abroad would mostly support BJP as they believe that the ruling party has helped the country develop.
On the other hand, the majority of people from Punjab and Kerala who have settled abroad would vote for parties who claim that they are secular.”