How Zohran Mamdani sees India beyond ‘Dhoom Machale’: Flaunts desi heritage, with a ‘vision’ caveat on PM Modi

THe stunning election of Zohran Mamdani as the next urban center manager of young house of york City, defeating former regulator Andrew Cuomo, is being seen as a progressive blip in the deeply polarised American politics in Donald Trump's era. But Mamdani, being of mixed heritage, is defined by many things at once — one of those being his Indian lineage.Yet, his relationship with his desi heritage isn't as straightforward as just playing “Dhoom Machale” at his victory rally. He also quoted from India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru's seminal speech of 1947, but his views on the current PM, Narendra Modi, are far from complimentary.His mother, filmmaker Mira Nair known for works like ‘Monsoon Wedding’, 'Mississippi Masala' and ‘The Namesake’, shares these views.The 34-year-old is the first Muslim and first Indian-origin leader of America’s largest city.What Mamdani said on Modi, how BJP retortedHe has faced anger over his criticism of PM Modi, whom he clubs with Trump and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu as leaders whose politics he deeply disagrees with.On Modi, he has attributed his views to a different “vision” of India. He has said he “grew up with the vision of an India that was pluralistic, an India where everyone belonged, no matter their religion”. In contrast, he has alleged, PM Modi and his party BJP's Hindutva-centric vision “only has room for certain kinds of Indians”.He has gone as far as to call Modi “anti-Muslim” and "fascist", words his mother, Indian Punjabi filmmaker Mira Nair, has also used for the PM.Zohran Mamdani's comments on Modi have drawn fierce opposition from some Indian-American groups.In India, BJP MP and popular actor Kangana Ranaut publicly attacked Mamdani's views by stating that he “sounds more Pakistani than Indian”.Zohran's father, academic Mahmood Mamdani of Ugandan-Indian Gujarati background, is known for his writings on imperialism and fascism, though mostly in the Ugandan context. His wife Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-origin artist who is known for her work around political issues ranging from the Middle East to immigration.Nehru reference gets Priyanka's thumbs-upAfter his victory, he referenced the “Tryst with Destiny” speech from the time of Independence by Nehru, whom Modi and his party hold responsible for many of India's problems.“A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new,” Mamdani quoted Nehru, “When an age ends, and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. Tonight we have stepped from out from the old into the new.”India opposition party Congress's leaders, including Nehru's great-granddaughter Priyanka Gandhi, said during election campaign in Bihar that Mamdani's gesture counters the BJP's rhetoric as the former PM is “respected globally”.Multi-cultural campaignMamdani’s campaign referenced Bollywood and South Asian culture frequently — right down to popping some “mouth freshener” from a sachet!Democratic leader Ro Khanna, also of Indian origin, praised this approach: “I love that he didn’t run away from his heritage. I mean, he did video clips with Amitabh Bachchan and Hindi movies... He shows that one can embrace their roots and their heritage and yet succeed in American politics."He engaged with the community also by visiting temples, gurdwaras, and mosques.Mamdani's views on immigration, diversity in NYCBorn in Uganda and having moved to the US at age seven, Mamdani has said he is not apologetic about his being relatively young, South Asian and Muslim among other identities. His past includes a not-so-successful career as an admittedly mediocre rapper, wearing colourful kurtas, singing about “chapati”, Indian bread that's now a Ugandan staple too. On the political front, he advocated for rent freezes, free bus services, and government-run grocery stores. His agenda focused on the working class, to which most immigrants also belong.In his victory speech, again, he vowed to fight for all New Yorkers, including immigrants, directly confronting the anti-immigrant politics of the right wing led by Trump. “New York will remain a city of immigrants,” he declared.Faced Islamophobia, Trump's wrathMamdani’s success immediately triggered strong anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric from conservatives on social media. However, supporters argued that such racism and Islamophobia were clearly “not enough for him to lose”.At least one political commentator termed his victory "surreal" in the city, especially 25 years after 9/11, when many South Asian Americans began questioning if New York was still "our city too".His run was so high-profile that Trump openly campaigned against him, denouncing the Democratic Socialist as a “communist” and “jew hater”. Mamdani's response was equally direct in his speech after the election result: “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up!"