Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK and Member of Parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne, joined thousands of people from the local community at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Manchester, on Saturday 2 November 2024 to celebrate Diwali and the Hindu New Year.
Ms Rayner was accompanied by Jonathan Reynolds MP, Member of Parliament for Hyde & Stalybridge, and Navendu Mishra MP, Member of Parliament for Stockport. The distinguished guests were warmly welcomed in a traditional Hindu manner by children as well as senior leaders from the Mandir. They then proceeded to pay their respects to the murtis, where they also admired the beautifully arranged annakut.
Along their tour of the Mandir, the guests engaged with children and their festive activities. Ms Rayner was particularly impressed by the dedication of the young volunteers and very pleased to see so many children actively involved at the Mandir.
The group then watched a short introductory video presentation of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj and shared their positive impressions of his noble work for communities across the world.
Sharing some thoughts from her visit, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “It’s fantastic to be here at BAPS in Manchester in my constituency today. I come to the temple often and it’s great to see so much of our community – and not just the Indian diaspora community – but all our community across Manchester and across my constituency here at the temple.”
Wishing everyone a ‘Happy Diwali’, she added, “The message of Diwali – the message of light and hope – is an incredible message to give to people at the moment when we have had some difficult times over the last number of years with the pandemic and the unrest you see internationally. It is nice to see that message of hope coming through to our community and the temple.”
Kinjal Patel, a lead volunteer for BAPS in Manchester, said, “It was an honour to have the Deputy Prime Minister and local MPs join us for Diwali and the Hindu New Year at our Mandir. We thank them for visiting and offer our heartfelt prayers for the continued success of our great nation.”