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Asian Voice - Saturday 28th April 2012
ONE TO ONE Keith Vaz MP with
Councillor Piara Singh Clair MBE Assistant City Mayor of Leicester Councillor Piara Singh Clair was born in Punjab, India. He achieved a Bachelors degree from the Agricultural University in Ludhiana where he was also an athlete and a member of the National Athletic Team. He has lived in Leicester since the late 1970s and is married with three grown up children. He has been a local councillor since May 1991 and is an active member of the Leicester East Labour Party. He has been chairman of a number of committees of Leicester City Council such as Planning, Licensing and Leisure. In 2004-05 Cllr Clair was Lord Mayor and High Bailiff of the city of Leicester. During which he raised over £140,000 for a local charity. He was subsequently awarded an MBE by HM Queen in 2005 for services to the community. Under the new system of an elected mayor in Leicester, he is Assistant Mayor with responsibility for Culture, Leisure and Sports. 1) What inspired you to run for Councillor? Being socialist I always wanted to help and support people in my local community. My then cocouncillor, the late Merlyn Vaz motivated me to get involved in local Since May politics. 1991, I have enjoyed every bit of this role as a local councillor. I feel relieved by taking up
role. My close working relations with the Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, and Chief Officers enable one to serve local people and to fulfil their needs.
3) What are your proudest achievements? I always feel proud when I deliver what local people expect from me. My close working relationship with
Smriti Malhotra Irani represents CM Modi at CFI launch in London Smriti Malhotra Irani, pictured, a veteran Indian television actor, Politician, National Secretary of the BJP party and all India President of the Women’s Wing of the party is visiting London for the launch of the Conservatives Friends of India on 24th April, in presence of Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, MP. Speaking to Asian Voice on behalf of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and the BJP party as a whole, Smriti said, “Our good wishes will always be there and we appreciate the traditional ties and hard work of the British Indians. We ought to pay tribute to the contribution of the British Indians to this country’s economy and philanthropy. Keeping politics aside, we Indians are proud of the British
Indian legacies. Their hard work, struggle, commitment and significant contribution to Britain are inspirations for generations to come in Britain as well as back in India.” When asked about the recent criticism of UKIndia relations by the media and other IndoBritish organisations, she said, “I am not here to criticise any government. I, as an Indian appreciate Britain’s contribution and BJP today signifies development and trade. Under BJP governance Gujarat as a state has progressed
4) What are the best things about Leicester, the city you represent? Leicester is a diverse city; we have good race relations amongst all sections of the community. We live in harmony. We share our cultural and religious values. It is all down to good local governance and a good understanding of community needs. 5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? My local MP Keith Vaz has been a great inspiration in my political career, along with the support I have received from my family. I have learnt so much from him. My own dedication and commitment has helped me to achieve my level of advancement in local politics.
local issues on behalf of my constituents. It is great honour to listen and to help people in your neighbourhood. 2) Please tell us about your current position? I am assistant City Mayor for Culture, Heritage and Sports as part of the City Mayor cabinet in Leicester. It is a very exciting and challenging
the local MP Keith Vaz has enabled me to deliver new health centres, new school buildings and now sports club for local people in Leicester East.
so much. In Vibrant Gujarat we have had 7000 MoUs signed of worth $405,000mn. The investors show confidence in us. BJP as a party is beyond doubt a very effective and progressive party.” Smriti, a very eloquent speaker, is of PanjabiBengali origin. An icon of women emancipation in India, she is very encouraging and appreciative of young entrepreneurs of Indian origin wishing to strengthen the UK-India relation further through investment, trade and profession. Her hall of fame has been a character called ‘Tulsi’ in a serial ‘Kyunki sans bhi kabuki bah thi’, where she was the protagonist and represented the modern Indian woman- a blend of courage, conscience and duty as a wife, mother and daughter, that
took Indian television soaps to a completely different level. “BJP has remodelled states into being investment friendly. We believe in going forward, rewarding community for progress. We have had Micro finance reflective on how we have utilised investment,” she told Asian Voice. The Conservative Friends of India is a new member led organisation aiming to promote understanding and engagement between British Indian community and the Conservative party. The launch will be attended by Cabinet members including President, Attorney General, Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC, MP, Chairman Lord Popat and Conservative Party members of Lords, Commons and other organisations.
6) What is the best thing about your current role? It is very challenging. It is a great opportunity to be in the centre of the decision making process. It has enabled me to make representations on behalf of local people in a
better controlled manner. 7) And the worst? You are always under the microscope. Answerable to your actions. It is a very demanding role and you can be under lots of pressure from time to time. You need to be prepared for being blamed as well as praised. 8) What are your long term goals? I wish to serve my constituents with my best possible ability, as long as I remain fit and healthy, in a very transparent and open minded way. 9) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change? Introduce a living wage and make society a safer place to live. 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figures would you like to spend your time with and why? I would like to spend my time with Tony Blair because he is the best Labour Prime Minister in the history of this country. I would like to talk to him about how he helped boost the economy, introduced the minimum wage and created job opportunities for many.
Devoted father to face possible jail sentence? A devoted father who spent £20,000 hiring Nicole Kidman and Tulisa from N-Dubz to appear at his daughter’s Super Sweet 16 is facing a possible jail sentence after the collapse of his business empire. Harbinder Panesar, pictured, faces losing the family’s £500,000 house in the Vale of Glamorgan and a spell behind bars after allegedly breaching a court order banning him from selling car insurance. The family is facing an uncertain financial future after a judge ruled Mr Panesar and his business partner Anthony Thomas breached a freezing order placed on their collapsed car insur-
ance company, by going into the same business under a different name. Speaking outside court, Mr Panesar told a daily media: ‘It’s one of those things. I’m going to appeal.’