By Asia Samachar Country Us
By Asia Samachar | United States |
Rapper-turned-politician Zohran Mamdani achieved a thumping win in the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, one step closer to becoming New York City’s first South Asian mayor and the first of Indian origin if he wins the general election in November.
But the same identity that makes him a trailblazer in United States politics has also exposed him to public outcry in India and within its diaspora, reports Al Jazeera.
Ever since Mamdani achieved a thumping win in the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, his campaign has weathered a flood of vitriol – some of it coming from the Hindu right.
Experts say the attacks are a reflection of the tensions that have arisen between supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and critics of the human rights abuses under his leadership, particularly against religious minorities, the report added.
A New Jersey-based group named Indian Americans for Cuomo spent $3,570 for a plane to fly a banner over New York City with the message: “Save NYC from Global Intifada. Reject Mamdani.”
Mamdani pointed to Modi’s leadership in the Indian state of Gujarat during a period of religious riots in 2002. Modi has been criticised for turning a blind eye to the violence, which killed more than a thousand people, many of them Muslim.
Zohran was born on 18 October 1991 in Kampala, Uganda. His father, Prof Mahmood Mamdani, is a political thinker. His mother, Mira Nair, is an Indian-American filmmaker, best known for films like Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and Queen of Katwe.
After living in Kampala and Cape Town, the Mamdani-Nair household moved to New York City when Zohran was seven years old.
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