Meet Kanwal Toor: Sikh ex-model who plans to oust Tan Dhesi

LONDON: A former Miss India is hoping to oust Britain’s first turban-wearing MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi at the next general election. Kanwal Toor, a finalist in Femina Miss India in 2001, who runs a jewellery business from Beaconsfield, eight miles from Slough, has just been selected by members of the Slough Conservative Association as their parliamentary candidate for the next election.It could be called before the end of the year.
A Sikh born and raised in Delhi, the 41-year-old read psychology at the University of Delhi and did a masters at SNDT in Mumbai. Her father hails from Karnal and mother from Shahabad, both in Haryana.
Asked whether one had to be Sikh to stand against Dhesi, Toor said: “You don’t have to be a Sikh. If you connect well with the people, show you care and are hard working, you stand a good chance. 55% of Slough is non-white, it might help a bit to be Indian-origin. Tories may have chosen me because I understand the sentiments of a Sikh guy but I have a lot of Muslim friends too,” said Toor, whose late grandparents were born in Sialkot in modern-day Pakistan and moved to India during Partition.
“My uncles and grandparents have only spoken good about those places,” she said.
Toor expects to win the Indian diaspora vote – owing to recent dissatisfaction with Tan’s party, Labour. “I want the support of the Sikh and Muslim community as well,” she said. “There can’t be any divisiveness. Slough has a mixed pot of people and we have to be sensitive to their needs. “
According to the 2011 Census, 40% of Slough is Asian and 34% are white. Of the total, 17.7% are of Pakistani ethnicity and 15.6% are PIOs; religion-wise 10.6% are Sikh, 23.3% Muslim and 6.2% Hindu.
“Slough is one of the youngest towns in the country but people are getting more and more disappointed with the fact the current MP has not done much for the constituency. If you email or try and call or contact him, he is not available. This I have heard from hundreds of people. His claim to fame is he is the first Sikh MP. It does not matter if you are the first Sikh MP or Greek MP, if you are not good, you are not good,” she says.
“There are stabbings and burglaries and children are getting groomed by drugs gangs and he is not here. He turns up for an odd function in the gurudwara and gets his face stuck up on all the social media and gets his personal profile very high on TV. But he is not giving the profile of Slough any gravitas. He is not lobbying the government to get the correct funding for businesses. Traffic congestion is getting out of control… He is more interested in commenting on other countries that have nothing to do with him. This divisive statement on Kashmir was not necessary, especially in an area where people are living together and it has no direct impact on his constituents,” she said referring to Dhesi’s opposition to the abrogation of Article 370.
After representing India in Miss International, Toor moved to Mumbai in 2003 to work in TV and Bollywood – even starring opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Cheeni Kum (2007).
After having children, the mum-of-two switched to investment banking and then moved to the UK in 2011. Her late aunt, Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur six times representing the Congress.
“I used to see her house in Safdarjung Road crowded with people getting help from her and that impacted me. She was close to Indira Gandhi and a hard working determined lady who did a lot for Punjab and for women. She was a positive influence on me,” said Toor. "I have always been interested in working in public life to help people."
Despite voting Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum, Toor supports UK PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans, pointing out that 54.3% of Slough voted Leave.
“I have a strong feeling Boris is going to be able to deliver Brexit", Toor said. “The US and Commonwealth countries are all waiting for us with open arms, so we just need to get on with it,” she added.
“Tan is not in sync with his constituents as he wants to Remain. How can he continue to represent them?” But can she overturn Tan’s massive 16,998 majority at the next election?
“People in Slough are desperate for a change. It is high time Tan leaves this spot for a candidate who is more clued up and echoes what their constituents needs,” she said.