Rajinder Singh: 'Why I'm proud to join the BNP'

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities

A 78-year-old Sikh, soon to be the first non-white member of the BNP, told today why he supports the far-right party.

Rajinder Singh (pictured) spoke a day after the BNP voted to change its constitution to allow black and Asian people to join.

The party made the decision at an extraordinary general meeting in Essex yesterday after it was told by Central London County Court to amend its constitution to comply with race relations laws or face legal action by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Yesterday, leader Nick Griffin said he expected to welcome Mr Singh soon as the BNP's first non-white member.

Today, Mr Singh said he would gladly join the party, although being a member or not would not change his support of its policies.

"If they say 'join', I can't chicken out now," he said.

"I will support them to the hilt, for their policies.

"I'm just pleased for them, not pleased for myself, because it doesn't change anything in me.

"It doesn't change my attitude to them, my loyalty to them. That doesn't change whether I am a member or not. I am still loyal to them."

Speaking at his home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Mr Singh praised Mr Griffin for "taking on the whole storm of lefties" who, he said, wanted to encourage multiculturalism.

Mr Singh, who was born in West Punjab, India, said he left the country in 1967 after seeing years of violence caused by the partition of the country, which also saw the death of his father.

Today he said the BNP was the only party he felt would take on the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, and "save" Britain - preventing any repetition of what he had seen in India.

He said: "Britain is changing, it's not the Britain I came to when I came in. The British people are worried, and the BNP is the expression of their worry.

"BNP are home-grown sons of this soil, not home-grown terrorists - there's a big distinction.

"They want to save this country and, when they save it for themselves, it will be good for me too."

He said he felt the BNP was currently "put in the corner" but added: "Opening up the doors to Asians will make them legal, make them diluted. It's all positive, positive, positive."

The retired schoolteacher, who provided a character reference for Mr Griffin at his trial in 2006, said he adhered to the idea of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and had adopted the "British way of life".

"Some Sikhs say 'You are not a Sikh', but I have core Sikh values," he added.

Responding to suggestions that he may be being used by the party, Mr Singh said: "I don't say that he used me. My point of view is that I helped them out.

"From my side, I am being helpful and that's a positive thing. From his side, there's a little bit of joy that I am here and making the face of the party acceptable."

But he said it would take time before more non-white members joined the party, especially after incidents such as its membership list being published, and the backlash some members received.

"The Labour Party pronounces judgment on the BNP as if they are wolves, and at the same time overlook the real wolves who say 'We will Islamise Britain, we will enforce Sharia law'," he said.

"I will not become Islamised, I would rather die."

But when asked about some of the BNP's other policies, Mr Singh maintained that its efforts to combat Muslim extremism were the most important.

He said: "Imagine a ship, huge inside, with chandeliers and dining tables.

"But there is a pinprick-sized hole in the hull. Nothing else matters.

"Nick Griffin is plugging that gap. And when the gap is plugged, we can get on with eating the meal. You think of the security of the ship first and then have champagne and a candlelit dinner.

"The British way of life is only ensured if that hole is plugged. But Tony Blair himself took an axe to it, by opening up the gates."

He said he had seen the "potential of Islam" in India and did not want to see it repeated in Britain.

"Islam is global, it has zero loyalty to Britain.

"The BNP are sons of soil and they are standing up for their soil.

"I wish we had a counterpart of the BNP in India in 1946."

But today the Unison union called for racism to be kicked out of politics.

General secretary Dave Prentis said: "Without the efforts of workers from abroad, the NHS would crumble, our schools couldn't function and our elderly and vulnerable would be without the care they need.

"It is time that this massive contribution to our country was recognised.

"The BNP's commitment not to be a 'whites only' party should not fool anyone.

"It is a ploy to make sure they can take part in the next election.

"They were forced to make a change to their constitution after legal action was taken against them. The party are already backtracking by promising not to become 'multiracial'.

"However much they try to deny it, racism is at the heart of the BNP.

"And racism should have no part in 21st century Britain. It is time to kick racism out of politics."