15 Indian groups threaten to boycott prime minister Modi’s visit

Mr Narendra Modi will visit Uganda on July 24 for the first time as prime minister on the invitation of President Museveni. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Envoy intervenes: The High Commissioner has summoned a meeting of all the association and community leaders at his office today at 10:30am so that they can be briefed by the committee.
  • Communities: There are 40 Indian associations in Uganda and the petitioners want at least a committee of 20 people to give at least halfway representation.

KAMPALA. A group of 15 Indian associations have petitioned the Indian High Commissioner, threatening to stay away from preparations for their prime minister’s visit, citing poor accountability and the manner in which the organising committee was picked.
Mr Narendra Modi will visit Uganda on July 24 for the first time as prime minister on the invitation of President Museveni. The two leaders will hold bilateral talks at State House Entebbe before driving to Kololo Airstrip to meet with the Indian community.

But the preparations for his visit have been hit by resistance from at least 15 groups who are opposed to the composition of the core organising committee for the community reception. They have also complained of alleged lack of accountability.
The 10-member committee co-chaired by Mr Mohan Rao and Mr Pradip Karia was appointed by Indian High Commissioner, Mr Ravi Shankar, at the end of last month.

However, on July 5, the leaders of the associations petitioned Mr Shankar asking him to disband the committee which they said was not representative. They wanted a team that caters for all the communities in Uganda. Some have threatened to boycott Mr Modi’s visit unless the team is reconstituted.

“We the undersigned heads/officer bearers of various committees strongly protest and express a great sense of dissatisfaction in which the core committee was nominated by your good offices, despite discussions and agreement of Mr Vijay Chauthaivale that at least 20 leaders from various communities, associations and bodies be nominated,” the petition reads in part.

The petition, which was received by the High Commissioner, is signed by the leaders of the communities of Lohanna, Hindu Council of Africa, Jitu Sorathiya, North Gujarat Association, Paresh Mehta, Paresh Sharma, North Gyorat Association, Howadhan Community and Shurashtra Hindu, among others.
They accuse the core committee of taking arbitrary actions that the complainants say will hinder the event. The community reception will be funded by the community members who have to register online to be eligible for invitations.

The petition states: “The actions of the said core committee have so far been grossly unbecoming of a sound leadership, which with the proposed budget of expenditure of over Shs1 billion has been entrusted.”
They have asked the High Commissioner to call a crisis meeting for all the associations and community leaders as soon as possible to solve the impasse. One of the lead petitioners, Mr Rajni Tailor, told Daily Monitor yesterday that members of the core committee want to take all the businesses relating to the event.

“People should benefit out of this event. It should not be the companies of the same people on the committee to supply the goods that are needed for the event. These opportunities should be put out for all the communities to compete,” Mr Tailor said.
The Former Tororo Municipality MP, Mr Sanjay Tanna, who is the organising committee’s spokesperson, said that everyone could not be coopted on the committee.

He added that most of the petitioners are part of the sub-committees. But the petitioners have rejected this explanation and described the committee as unrepresentative.

Envoy intervenes: The High Commissioner has summoned a meeting of all the association and community leaders at his office today at 10:30am so that they can be briefed by the committee.

Communities: There are 40 Indian associations in Uganda and the petitioners want at least a committee of 20 people to give at least halfway representation.