Thirty-three-year-old Mamdani has been a Democratic legislator in New York State since 2020.
Trump's comments about Zohran Mamdani are unfortunate
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to arrest Indian-American Zohran Mamdani—who is contesting the mayoral election of New York City—revoke his American citizenship, and deport him from the United States. In response, Mamdani said he is not afraid of Trump’s threats; he knows how to fight for his rights and is confident that voters in New York will give Trump a fitting reply in the upcoming November elections.
Thirty-three-year-old Mamdani has been a Democratic legislator in New York State since 2020. He has now secured the Democratic Party’s nomination for the mayoral election by defeating a white politician.
Although the race for Mayor is a three-way contest, Mamdani is being openly seen as the frontrunner due to the strong Democratic base in New York City. His two main opponents are the current mayor and former Democrat Eric Adams, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Adams faces criticism for compromising on Democratic policies and allegations of corruption. As a result, the party has not nominated him, and he is running as an independent. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican, is not considered a widely popular political figure. Now, after Trump’s praise of Eric Adams, there is speculation that Republican votes may shift in favor of Adams rather than Sliwa.
Trump targeted Mamdani with his threats because Mamdani has repeatedly stated during his campaign that, if elected Mayor, he will not allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to carry out operations within New York. The U.S. Constitution gives mayors the authority to restrict federal agencies' activities within their jurisdictions. Mamdani has also accused Eric Adams of making backdoor deals with Trump to suppress corruption cases against himself by giving ICE access to New York during his tenure as Mayor.
New York City is considered a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-colored, and multi-ideological metropolis. People from 143 countries reside here and enjoy equal rights. American white supremacy has never found a foothold in this city. Trump now seeks to change that character of the city. Zohran Mamdani, as his name suggests, is a follower of Islam. His father, Professor Mahmood Mamdani, is a Shia Muslim of Gujarati origin, born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, who later migrated to the U.S. His mother is renowned filmmaker Mira Nair. Although the surname "Nair" is associated with Malayalis (people from Kerala), Mira is a Delhi-educated Punjabi. Her original family name was “Naiyar,” a Punjabi caste name. Her grandfather anglicized the spelling to “Nair.” Mira’s father, Amrit Lal Singh Naiyar, was an IAS officer from the Bihar cadre.
Due to this, Mira was born in Rourkela (now in Jharkhand). She has been honored by the Indian government with prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. Although Zohran obtained U.S. citizenship seven years ago, he has always identified himself as “American first, everything else later.” His wife, Rama Duwaji, is Syrian. Due to his consistent campaigning and organizing against the genocide in Gaza, he has long been a thorn in the side of Republicans. During political attacks against him, it has become fashionable to label him a "communist." Trump, too, has used this term against him.
Whatever the case may be, the U.S. President’s comments and threats toward Mamdani are uncivil and inappropriate, and all democratic forces should condemn them.
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