Labour and Tory politicians have played their part in Muslim-Hindu tensions

Even before the incidents in Leicester, Labour activists exploited anti-Modi sentiment, while Zac Goldsmith played on Islamophobia.

By Anoosh Chakelian

Zac Goldsmith’s London mayoral campaign in 2016 sent leaflets attacking Sadiq Khan to people with the surname “Patel”. Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda is no longer confined to India. Recent violence in Leicester shows divisions between Hindu and Muslim communities are now being exploited by gangs of young men in the UK.

Yet Modi is not the only politician with a part to play in the unrest on British streets. UK politicians have themselves exploited such hostilities in local election campaigns over the years.