ON A GREYmorning in north-west London earlier this month an enthusiastic group gathered outside a community centre to fly the Indian flag—plus another one featuring the lotus flower, symbol of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Some wore saffron scarves, a colour associated with Hinduism. After staging a car rally through the neighbourhood, they reconvened outside a Hindu temple. A British ConservativeMPaddressed the crowd, praising the government of Narendra Modi. The gathering, organised by the Overseas Friends of theBJP, the party’s diaspora arm, got little attention in the local media. But footage of it soon appeared on the websites of many Indian outlets.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Narendra Modi’s secret weapon”
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