Almost a billion people will head to the polls over the next six weeks in the world’s biggest general election. The economy, startups, paid maternity, and the rights of minorities are some of the key issues being debated in a campaign dominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition coalition fronted by Rahul Gandhi. In the UK, a Channel 4 News survey of 500 people tests how British Indians feel about politics in their ancestral homeland. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 The world's biggest general election begins today in India, with 969 million people eligible
00:08 to vote. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition coalition
00:14 fronted by Rahul Gandhi are campaigning hard. The economy, start-ups, paid maternity and
00:20 the rights of minorities are some of the key issues being debated.
00:24 Thousands of miles away in the UK, a Channel 4 News survey has unveiled how British Indians
00:34 are connecting with politics in their ancestral homeland.
00:38 The findings show only 35% of British Indians view Narendra Modi favourably, with 52% saying
00:45 the opposite. However, there is a religious divide, as 57% of Hindu respondents say they
00:52 view him favourably, whilst only 19% of non-Hindus feel the same way.
00:57 "I don't think they will find anybody like Modi. He is holding on to Hinduism, which
01:04 is a great thing. It's the basic religion which is exceptionally good for the future
01:12 generation."
01:13 But religion is not the only factor. The survey shows Modi's popularity is also about India's
01:19 economy and global standing. Take last year's moon landings, for example.
01:23 "Who has gone up to the south pole of the moon? Whereas this has happened only in Modi's
01:32 reign. Improvement on the roads, everything."
01:35 "He's come from a very humble background and to be in that position now is very proud for
01:42 us as Gujaratis, similarly to seeing Rishi Sunak as an Indian Prime Minister of the UK."
01:49 Modi says the modernisation of railways and waterways are his vision for an inclusive
01:54 new India. But critics say policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act allow some religious
02:00 minorities fast-track citizenship but excludes Muslims.
02:04 The survey also found religion divides perceptions of India's trajectory. 68% of Hindus said
02:11 it's going in the right direction, whilst only 25% of non-Hindus said the same.
02:16 "It is moving from a democratic state to a racial state."
02:22 Jasim is part of the UK Indian Muslim Council. The survey shows that religious tension is
02:28 a top concern for Muslim respondents.
02:30 "They are being intimidated on a daily basis. They worry about the situation they are going
02:38 to face the next day or the next hour."
02:40 And that all British Indians, irrespective of religion, feel religious violence is spilling
02:45 into the UK.
02:47 "The hate is transferred to the diaspora communities. It is important to come up with
02:56 the idea of social cohesion."
02:58 However, the top concern for everyone, according to the survey, is violence against women and
03:06 girls in India, as voiced by these young women at a Kabaddi training session.
03:11 "I don't think that's just going to be Modi. I think that's going to be in the future.
03:15 That's just India itself. My mum tells me stories and stuff. I'll be like, 'I'll go
03:18 to India by myself.' She's like, 'No, you can't do that. You can't do that.' But if
03:24 she's like, 'That's not safe.'"
03:25 Voting in India ends on the 1st of June, with results announced on the 4th. Many of the
03:30 diaspora here in Britain will be watching closely.
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