A meaty affair: Why UK PM Keir Starmer’s Diwali party has angered British-Hindus

A party is normally meant for celebrations and fun. However, United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s get-together invited the ire of some British Hindus.

Why?

Because the prime minister’s Diwali party at 10 Downing Street included non-vegetarian snacks and alcohol on the menu.

Here is what happened.

Diwali celebrations at 10 Downing

On October 31, Keir Starmer , the UK PM and Labour leader, held Diwali celebrations at 10 Downing , which was attended by community leaders and top politicians of the country. The party saw spiritual messages being read out along with the lighting of diyas. There was also music and dance to highlight Diwali’s message of good overcoming evil. Famous Kuchipudi dance artist Arunima Kumar and her young students, Arushi Nagaraju and Aishwarya Gupta performed the traditional dance of ‘Jyotir’ at the event.

In his message to the British-Indian community, Starmer at the get-together was also quoted as saying, “We value and respect your heritage and traditions, and recognise the strength of our shared values and the celebration of Diwali — a time of coming together, of abundance, and welcome.

“There seems to be a lot of darkness across the world, and having that celebration of the light over darkness is very, very important. It gives us hope, it steadies us,” he said.

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Later on X, the UK PM wishing people for Diwali said, “Happy Diwali to all those celebrating across the UK, I wish you and your family a joyful celebration. This is a time of coming together, abundance and welcome, and a moment to fix our eyes on the light which always triumphs over the darkness.”

He also shared images of the celebrations on the social networking platform.

Non-veg and alcohol on the menu

However, it seems that Starmer’s Diwali party has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some. It is reported that staff served alcohol and meat at the Diwali gala. According to a report by The Spectator, a few attending guests were rather displeased to find that beer, wine and lamb kebabs were all on offer at the event.

This move has attracted criticism by a few British-Hindus, calling out Starmer for the lack of cultural sensitivity.

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‘Insight UK’, which is a social movement of British Hindus and Indians, expressed disappointment, highlighting what they described as an “appalling lack of understanding” of the religious significance of Diwali.

In a long message on Instagram, expressing their disdain, Insight UK said, “Diwali is not just a time for festivity, but also holds a deeply religious meaning. The sacred festival of Diwali emphasises purity and devotion and hence traditionally involves vegetarian meals and strict avoidance of alcohol.

“The choice of menu at the Diwali celebration hosted by the prime minister himself, displays an appalling lack of understanding or respect for the religious traditions associated with the festival of Diwali.”

It further questioned if the Hindu community or religious leaders were taken into consideration while planning the event to ensure sensitivity and inclusivity.

But it wasn’t just Insight UK that was upset. Pandit Satish K Sharma, a prominent British Hindu priest, also expressed anger over the presence of meat and alcohol at Starmer’s party, calling it a “great concern” and “disappointing” even if “unintentional”.

'The complete lack of sensitivity and simple consultation, at any level, is of great concern. If accidental, it's still disappointing. @SeemaMalhotra1 ?
If deliberate @UKLabour and @10DowningStreet team have again sent a message to the British Hindu community'. @Keir_Starmer may… https://t.co/GxCcXrfYr7 pic.twitter.com/czzDQfv5jq

— Pt Satish K Sharma MBCS FRSA FRAS (@thebritishhindu) November 10, 2024

“I was disappointed and frankly quite shocked that this year’s celebrations at 10 Downing Street, rather than being a reflective, positive and uplifting spiritual coming together, it seems to have been more of an inebriated meat-induced stupor dominated the event,” he was quoted as saying.

“It’s a tragedy that the prime minister’s advisers would have been so careless, negligent and inattentive. The thing that’s most disappointing is this is one of those events where lack of care and attention actually does more harm than if the event had not been held at all,” Sharma added, saying Starmer has “sent a message” to the British Hindu community.

Neither Starmer nor 10 Downing have responded to the row.

Diwalis at 10 Downing

Diwali celebrations at 10 Downing Street are not a new phenomenon. It was in 2009 that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown began celebrating the festival at 10 Downing. At the time, Brown said, “This is a great day for Downing Street, a great day for us and a great day for Britain to celebrate Diwali for the first time in Downing Street. This is a historic event.”

Last year, the celebration of the festival had added significance as Rishi Sunak, the first British-Asian PM and a devout Hindu himself, marked the celebrations in 10 Downing. He and his wife Akshata Murty and their two daughters lit diyas outside 10 Downing Street. They then joined Diwali celebrations in Southampton.

To veg or to non-veg

The presence of alcohol at a Diwali party, as was served at the Starmer event, is a strict no-no for Hindus amid this time of celebrations. However, the serving of non-vegetarian food has also raised the question of whether meat is consumed during this period.

While some communities in India consume meat on Diwali, for others the festival is observed with vegetarian meals. For instance, some communities in Tamil Nadu celebrate Diwali with a non-vegetarian breakfast that includes idly and mutton curry.

With inputs from agencies