“SUPPORT MR GURCHARAN SINGH  IN EALING SOUTHALL, UK…… JASSI KHANGURA MLA, Pb 

South Hall, UK, April 25, 2010
Surinder Singh

NRI Gurcharan Singh is the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for the Ealing Southall,  UK. He is currently campaigning to become the Member of Parliament at the General Election to be held on May 6th 2010.

In July, 2009, more than 700  supporters  get together to the Milan Banqueting Hall, The Green, Southall,  Chairman of Ealing Southall Conservatives, Cllr Manjit Singh, introduced the Conservative Parliamentary candidate, Cllr Gurcharan Singh, as well as Council candidates for Southall’s five wards. Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Shailesh Vara MP. Mr Ranbir Suri and Mr Rickie Sehgal - Chairman and General Secretary respectively of British Asian Conservative Link  and Deputy Mayor of London, Richard Barnes, also came along to lend his support.  Richard Barnes, London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon said," I was delighted to attend the launch of the Conservative team for Southall, together with the PPC for Southall Cllr. Gurcharan Singh

Gurcharan Singh seems to be without controversy. Sikhs  make up about 23% of the population of Southall.  The Southall seems to be divided between Labour and the Conservatives. 

Gurcharan Singh was one of five representatives who left the Labour party in 2007, to join the Conservative party. The five defectors  were Cllr Gurcharan Singh, Cllr Manjit Singh, Cllr Maninder Kaur Keith, Cllr Jarnail Singh Jandu, Cllr Jagdish Gupta. At a national level NRIs   were extremely impressed by David Cameron's modern Conservatives and, with the changes that he had made.

Gurcharan Singh  would be the first turban wearing MP in the Commons, if elected.

Gurcharan Singh:

• He moved to the UK in 1972 married to Rajinder Kaur, a State Registered Nurse. He has lived in Southall since early seventies.
• They have  three children, all went to local schools,
• He had worked for British rail then with Civil Service as a Tax Officer. He then moved on to become a self employed and finally worked with young adults of 16 to 25 age group suffering with drug addiction, mental illness and alcohol addiction. His main interests are reading, watching films and whatever time left after politics, to be with his family.
• He joined the Labour Party in 1976 and became a councillor in 1982. 
• 1988/90 & 1994/96 Chairman of Housing Committee
• 1997/98 Chairman of Planning Committee
• 1998/2000 Chairman of Recycling and Waste Committee
• 2000/2002 Cabinet Member of Environmental Improvement and Deputy Leader of the Council  2002/03 Deputy Mayor, London Borough of Ealing
• 2003/04 Mayor, London Borough of Ealing when he raised £35k for his charities which included Parkinson's Decease and Meadow House Hospice at The Ealing Hospital among others.

JASSI KHANGURA MLA, Punjab  appealed to NRIs  for  support  of Mr. Gurcharan Singh, the Conservative Party candidate from Ealing Southall, in the UK Parliamentary elections. He is JASSI’s Uncle (mamaji) and said:  

• As you know the whole NRI world has links with the Southall Punjabi community and I, therefore, request you to support him.
• As an elected legislator in India I try not to take political positions out of the country.
• But for relatives I must in my personal capacity and not as a Congress Party legislator.
• Please request your friends, relatives and associates who live in and around the Southall area to support Mr. Gurcharan Singh.
• His 30 year service to the community as a local Councillor.
• He is highly accessible and available to serve the public from early to late.
• He is industrious and an efficient manager of constituency casework.
• His understanding of both policy and detail allows him to better deliver to the needs of the people.
• Finally, I genuinely believe that he is the BEST CANDIDATE in Ealing Southall.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gurcharan Singh became the Mayor London Borough of Ealing

Sep. 16, 2003

Councillor Gurcharan Singh was born in the Punjab in 1948. He moved with his family to Uttar Pardesh, a neighbouring province, in 1954.At secondary school he received a merit scholarship for coming first in his O level exams out of more than 1000 students.

He continued his studies at a college and graduated with a BSc in physics, chemistry and mathematics. He also holds a Masters of Science in mathematics. As Gurcharan did not belong to a rich family, he taught high school students to meet his college expenses. While other students travelled by bus, he cycled 13 miles to and from college every day.

He also helped his father at his farm. He married Rajinder in 1971, moved to the UK in 1972 and they have three grown up children.

Gurcharan joined the Labour Party in 1976, becoming a councillor in 1982. He is actively involved in Sikh politics and has a strong base in the largest Sikh Gurdwara, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, in Southall.

Singh, who started as a British Rail guard, moved on to become a tax officer. By 1986, he had his own hotel in London. But, Singh says, life kept throwing up challenges his way. ‘‘Today, I have become Mayor with the support of the British, but woh bhi din tha jab mushkilen bahut ayin. Aakhir goron ka desh tha,’’ Singh told The Indian Express over the telephone from London.

When Singh migrated, things were different. Those were the days of racial prejudice. For an Indian to become acceptable, you had to prove yourself, which was not easy, Singh says. Asked why he migrated, he says: ‘‘kyonki koi sifarish nahin thi, Hindustan mein naukri nahin mili.’’

Gurcharan comes from a family with a military background. His father, grandfather, father in-law and grandfather in-law served in the British and Indian armies.

GURCHARAN SINGH