Preamble: This post is a direct response to a concern raised by one of our valued constituents. To respect their privacy, I've chosen not to name them.

Ealing Southall is a very unique place. Southall in particular has a distinct identity and is often termed "Little India". However, there are many communities here. In fact, there's probably a case to give some parts of the area the title of "Little Pakistan", "Little Afghanistan", "Little Sri Lanka", "Little Somalia" and even "Little Britain" (though the latter would not bare much resemblance to the TV show of the same name).

The point I'm making is that I completely recognise the other communities and faiths that make up the fabric of our community. The differences between us are what bind us and make our lives in this great constituency much richer.

One thing I would like to make distinctly clear is that come May 6th, I would like the constituents to judge me based on my track record and the efforts I've made on behalf of the community and not, my surname.

I have tried to make this clear in my recognition of the various religious occasions that our celebrated by us. For example, through the distribution of cards:

• Eid
• Diwali
• Vaisakhi
• Christmas

Now, as far as I'm concerned, distributing cards and leaflets does not equate to showing commitment to inter-faith cohesion but it does show recognition of our differences.

If elected, I will make sure that I represent the concerns and interests of all communities. This will include visiting local Mosques, Mandirs, Churches and Gurdwaras. I would like to set up an inter-faith working group to ensure that we can tackle local issues together and in a unified manner. I believe that the issues we face cut across us all. For example, we all care about the NHS, we all care about the safety of our families, we all want to be able to express our religious freedoms without hindrance and we all care about education. Therefore, we should tackle these issues together.

Gurcharan