What was once a homogenised community which looked out for one another has become disenfranchised at all levels. The biggest fallacy is that we are one unified community.

We haven’t been seen as one community for a long time and the past decade has shown how apparent the split has become.

Many people will reminisce to the eighties and the seventies and remember a time when communities regardless of religion and nationality looked out for one another.

As first-generation immigrants, it did not matter if you were Hindu, Sikh or Muslim or what country you hailed from. Our focus was survival.

We built our places of worship and our cultural background mattered to us but it did not separate us.

Some even hoped this was a temporary stay and they would return to their native lands to be with their wider families.

Thirty years on and wealth and nationality has helped to split the community at all levels. This is a fragmented community with the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.

The ‘have nots’ at grassroot levels are based in some of the most poorest neighbourhoods and the ‘haves’ are becoming more Conservative in their attitudes towards others even in their own community.

I’m sorry to say but the have nots are of no consequence to the educated elite.

Now, there is no shame in being wealthier and successful. But what you are finding is how these ‘elites’ within our own community are now looking down upon others.

Much of it has to do with ‘embarrassment.' We want to disassociate ourselves from one set of people because it shows us in a bad light.

It is a common feeling amongst some.

I mean no offence when I say that I realise there are elements of the elitist Indian community who do not want to be associated with Pakistanis and Sikhs.

Wealth has played a huge part in this. Why would you want to? If you are wealthier and more successful why would you want to play host to those that one feels is lower than yourself?

We have among us Pakistanis who themselves want to disassociate themselves from the Bangladeshi community.

We also have a number of Muslims who will not associate themselves with Hindus or Sikhs. Religious strife between communities was no more apparent than during the Kashmir crisis this year seeing racism rear its ugly head.

Whilst we are quick to point out how British we are, the Asian community still has many facets of their cultural and national baggage. We differentiate ourselves through religion and culture and hope to draw attention only to ourselves.

I would say this is an overriding factor when one set of people align themselves with different political parties - you go where you feel your interests are being served best.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that how the Conservative Party finds itself aligning itself to the Indian community and the Labour leadership looking to garner the support in inner-city areas amongst Muslims.

Take also for instance how we react to policies that are affecting one section of the community. I would say many years ago there would have been a unified response if one community was being singled out.

Now, we have a distinct split on one set of Asians who support what are clearly right-wing policies and controversial comments against their own community. We can have an MP from an Asian background openly make comments which if they were attributed to a white person would be deemed racist. But here, they are applauded and almost celebrated. We invite them to our dinners and celebrate them because they are able to say things we can’t.

This has led to accusations that if you support the elite, you are in fact selling out. I don’t think that is the case at all. Political parties are simply honing in on what they feel are friendly communities and those that share their own outlook.

There is a distinct split within the Asian community now. Those who are deemed ‘upmarket’ and those who are amongst the lowly masses.

For those who thought we had all left the caste and class system back in south Asia, think again.