Tags:
Journalism of Courage
LONDON, MAY 20: Close on the heels of the sleaze controversy regarding the first Muslim Member of Parliament, the ruling Labour Party has been embarrassed yet again following reports of the involvement of the first Asian woman Mayor, Lata Patel, in a fracas with a beautician.
The 18-day-old Labour Government was already on the defensive with bribery accusations hurled against one of its newly elected MPs, Mohammed Sarwar, the first Muslim in the British Parliament.
The allegations, if confirmed, would prove a severe embarrassment for Labour, which made much of Tory 8220;sleaze8221; during the recent election campaign that culminated with a crushing defeat for the Conservative government.
Patel, who handed over the mayorship of the Gujarati-dominated Brent Council last week, was reported to have been involved in a 8220;fist fight8221; with Neelam Gandesha, a beautician over payment of bills.The fracas has become the talking point in the entire Indian community here. The incident took place last week when the beautician called on Patel8217;s house and the two were reported to have been involved in a 8220;fist fight8221; after an heated argument.Cross complaints were lodged with the Brent police.
While, Patel displayed frozen shoulders, the beautician had tell-tale fist marks on her upper arms and shoulders.Neelam Gandesha complained that the former mayor had threatened her when she asked for payment of outstanding dues for beauty treatments.
The fracas developed political overtures, when Patel was upbraided by the her Tory opponents during her office handing over meeting in Brent townhall last Tuesday. She was booed and jeered by the crowd that had assembled there. Conservative group spokesman, Councillor Reg Colewall had asked the outgoing mayor to comment on the allegations as this had sullied the name of the area council. When Patel refused to do so there was jeering and heckling.
Gandesha claimed that the police were not taking the incident seriously because Patel was the former mayor.On the other hand, the Pakistan-born Sarwar, a retail food magnate in Scotland, was accused by three unsuccessful candidates, two of them fellow Asians, of bribery or attempted bribery to get them to throw the race.
Sarwar denied the allegations.
Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar said British police were investigating allegations published by the Sunday tabloid News of The World that Sarwar paid 5,000 pounds cash to Islam Badar to fight a losing campaign.
Subsequently, another candidate for the Glasgow seat that Sarwar won, Peter Paton, filed a police complaint alleging a Sarwar campaign worker proposed a unspecified donation to his campaign, but that no money changed hands.
Yesterday, a third candidate for the seat, Jamil Abbassi, alleged that Sarwar supporters had offered him 50,000 pounds to pull out of the campaign. spokesman for the Labour party said the party would mount an urgent investigation.
