Hajira Piranie has been out knocking on doors in southern Leicestershire as a first-time parliamentary candidate contesting for the Labour Party from the Harborough, Oadby and Wigston constituency. The young mother of a three-year-old, whose family have their roots in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Gujarat, is campaigning on Labour’s central theme of change and promises to be an accessible and approachable member of Parliament if elected on July 4.
Were you fully geared up for a summer General Election?
In terms of a summer election, I just say finally the British public have a chance to go to the polls and kick out an out of touch government that has presided over so much misery for the last 14 years. So, whenever it was going to be, I'm just pleased that finally we've been given that opportunity to take to the polls and use our voice to affect change.
What are your priorities around this theme of change?
Change is the message we are spreading here with Labour. Firstly, there will be stability with our economy and in terms of the constituents in my constituency, what they feel is the single biggest issue is the NHS waiting lists. I think that's the biggest issue affecting families across the country.
On the doorstep, people say we can't get a GP appointment, or have been on a waiting list for a hospital appointment. It's just such a desperate situation, which Labour will overturn. We've done it before in government, we created the NHS, and we are the only party that can save it.
It’s a personal mission for me, being a sepsis survivor in 2019. Not many people from our community understood the severity of sepsis and how important it is that you get access to a doctor within hours in order to save lives. So, I have been campaigning for the UK Sepsis Trust as their ambassador and raising awareness in our South Asian communities on picking up the symptoms of sepsis.
Are you confident of winning over British Indian votes for Labour?
The Labour Party is the traditional home for British Indians. It's the party that welcomed my family into this country in 1975 amidst quite a difficult time in British politics, fighting against far-right groups. It was the Labour Party that represented families like mine and welcomed their shared values of education and health and wellbeing.
Labour remains the party for British Indians and while there may have been some shift in the last decade, with the cost-of-living crisis disproportionately impacting our communities people are coming back to the realisation that the Labour Party is the only party that represents their values and cares about their family’s finances.
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How does your Indian heritage impact your politics?
As British Indians, we take pride in our country, we take pride in service, and that is why I'm a Labour Party member because it is public service and duty that is my commitment. I visit India very often, visit my family there and also work with organisations there with links here in the UK like the charity Kindled Spirit.
I'm so proud that the values that have been instilled in me from my family have brought me here as a British Indian parliamentary candidate.
*Info: Hajira Piranie