Punjabi-origin member quits far-right UK party over ‘racist populism’
A Punjabi-origin member of Britain’s far- right UK Independence Party (UKIP) has quit the party on the grounds that it has descended into a “terrifying form of racist populism” for electoral gains.
Sanya-Jeet Thandi, described as a rising star of the UKIP as a member of its youth wing, said she was leaving the party because it was appealing to the “stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters for electoral gains.” A privately-educated London School of Economics student born to Punjabi parents, 21- year- old Thandi joined the UKIP because she said Prime Minister David Cameron was “going soft” on immigrant policies.
“In reality, however, the direction in which the party is going is terrifying: The UKIP has descended into a form of racist populism that I cannot bring myself to vote for. This week, I decided to leave the party and I will abstain from voting in the upcoming European elections. I urge other UKIP supporters to do the same,” she wrote in the Guardian.
She explained that she joined the UKIP’s youth wing three years ago because she believed in liberal ideas such as lower taxes, a smaller state and an “immigration policy that offered fair and equal opportunities for everyone.”
“Yes, the UKIP is still a relatively young party. No, that is not an excuse to allow racists to stand for election. Nor is it an excuse to exploit the ignorance in British society and indulge the racist vote by telling them ‘they’ll take your jobs’. Sorry UKIP, you’ve lost another vote,” she wrote.
The UKIP is based on strong anti-immigrant policies and its leader Nigel Farage has recently sought to rid the party of its racist image by appearing at a rally flanked by 40 ethnic minority supporters. Three years ago, Thandi said she agreed with the UKIP’s policy on immigration because the current British policy favoured Europeans over other migrants such as her grandparents who came from India.