WHY WE QUIT

After weeks of uncertainty, claims, counter-claims and allegations all six will remain as independent councillors and turned their backs on the Tories and Lib Dems when Blackburn With Darwen Council held its first Council meeting. It had been thought they would form a coalition with the two parties, thus ousting Labour from power in the town for the first time in 21 years.

Parwaiz Akhtar, Mahfooz Hussain, Iftakhar Hussain, Yusuf Jan-Virmani, Salim Mulla and Faryad Hussain walked away from Labour days after winning their seats on a Labour ticket. All except Coun Faryad Hussain voted for their former colleagues at the meeting - he insisted he would remain a "true" independent.

Asian Image confronted the group about their actions. Speaking to us as a group, the councillors said they had had enough of "outside influences" on the town's Labour Leadership. "It was a matter of being treated fairly and one of principle. Wrongful accusations were thrown at us. We could not be influenced by outside bodies and ex-councillors on what to do and how to do it."

"It came to a point when we could not tolerate such behaviour and have no regrets about our decision."

They claimed at the time of their resignations that they were being blamed for the loss of Sir Bill Taylor's seat in the Audley ward of the town which is made up of a majority of Asian voters. In response Labour leaders claimed they ditched the party after a row during the selection of members for the ruling executive board within the Council.

"We put our careers on the line by making this decision. We were just as saddened as everyone else when Sir Bill lost his seat.

"Our decision had nothing to do with getting executive postions and was based solely on us being bullied and harassed into making decisions. We are not yes men."

"The community is more important than councillorship."

All six were said to have cheated the electorate after having stood as Labour Councillors and having planned the whole thing. To this five (bar Faryad Hussain) replied they had given the Borough a Labour Council as promised.

"All this about us wanting to go with the Tories and Lib Dems was assumption. We did meet with them but we did not want the community to take a step backwards."

"We fulfilled our promise to the electorate and Labour is in power.

"This year was like no other and we had to work damn hard to be elected as Labour Councillors and our decision to quit came after the Council election. We are also pretty sure if we had stood as Independents we would have won because as most people will know within the Asian community voters chose the person and the hard work they do rather than the party."

The group were called to a meeting with Jack Straw and Lord Adam Patel days before the full Council meeting. It is there it seems a deal was struck.

Asked whether their decision has tarnished the reputation of local politicians and that of the Asian community five of the six (bar Faryad Hussain) had this to say, "We feel it hasn't been tarnished. Politicians do resign from parties. This is nothing new.

"Just because six Asian councillors do it shouldn't make it a crime. This is an internal problem within the Labour group and we feel none of this would have come about if Sir Bill Taylor had not lost his seat."

Coun Faryad Hussain said, "I wanted reassurances from the Labour group and those weren't forthcoming. I will not make any compromises."

"Yes, I stood on a Labour banner but I made my decision as a representative of my constituents and on my own integrity and I feel it was the correct one."

Following the Council meeting it was announced Coun Jan-Virmani would be deputy mayor. His selection it is said was on the cards before the defections after previous nominee Coun Ashley Whalley lost his seat.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?: Write to Asian Image, Newspaper House, High Street, Blackburn BB1 1HT or e-mail us on: news@asianimage.co.uk