With U.S. Republicans calling for his deportation, and Indian voices both cheering and jeering, Mamdani’s rise reveals deep fault lines across global Indian communities.
BY PC Bureau
June 28, 2025 —The victory of Indian-origin candidate Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor has sparked a firestorm across the United States — and surprisingly, across the globe in India as well. A 33-year-old Democratic socialist and community organizer, Mamdani is on track to become the first Muslim mayor of New York City. But while his win has energized progressive circles, it has ignited sharp backlash from conservatives in America and divided public opinion within the Indian diaspora and in India itself.
Within hours of Mamdani declaring victory over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, Republican leaders launched a fierce campaign questioning his patriotism and legitimacy.
President Donald Trump, writing on Truth Social, denounced Mamdani as a “100% Communist Lunatic” backed by “Dummies ALL,” referencing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Trump accused Mamdani of threatening national security and called his win a dark moment in American history.
U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan escalated the tension, ridiculing Mamdani’s vow to remove ICE from New York City. “Good luck with that. Federal law trumps him every day, every hour of every minute,” Homan said on Fox News. “It’s game on.”
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Republican lawmakers went a step further, with Rep. Andy Ogles calling Mamdani “little Muhammad” and demanding his deportation and denaturalization — a rare and legally complex process typically reserved for those who obtained citizenship through fraud or concealed past war crimes or terrorist activity.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace even conducted an online poll asking followers if Mamdani should be stripped of his U.S. citizenship.
Divided Reactions in India and Among the Diaspora
The uproar hasn’t been limited to American shores. Mamdani’s historic rise has sharply divided the Indian diaspora, particularly in the U.S., UK, and Canada. Some view his ascent as a symbol of immigrant success and progressive values, while others, particularly among Hindu right-leaning circles, have expressed discomfort with his faith, socialist leanings, and criticisms of India’s Hindu nationalist politics.
Zohran Mamdani, son of filmmaker Mira Nair, is an immigrant, socialist, and now NYC mayoral nominee. He once called Narendra Modi a “war criminal” over the 2002 Gujarat riots. He is a rare politician who doesn’t mince words, locally or globally.#Emergency #Emergency1975 pic.twitter.com/GcNCV0kyL7
— Adv. Vijay Singh (@VijaySingh_law) June 25, 2025
Back in India, the reactions are equally polarized. While secular and left-liberal circles celebrated Mamdani’s success as a win for pluralism and inclusion, nationalist voices aligned with the ruling BJP have amplified the Republican narrative. Right-wing influencers on Indian social media platforms echoed Trump’s criticism and questioned Mamdani’s “loyalty,” painting him as anti-India and anti-Hindu.
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Television debates in India this week have featured fierce clashes between commentators, with some accusing Mamdani of “misusing his Indian identity” to criticize India’s domestic politics — particularly its treatment of minorities — and others hailing his achievement as a proud moment for Indian-origin communities worldwide.
A Symbol and a Flashpoint
Zohran Mamdani, born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents, and raised in New York City, is no stranger to controversy. A sitting New York State Assembly member and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Mamdani has long advocated for housing reform, ending mass incarceration, and cutting ties between police and immigration enforcement.
Zohran Mamdani also LIED about India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). In 2020 he said it was “the first stage of an attempt to strip Muslims of their citizenship”.
CAA was a humane act to give expedited citizenship to Hindus persecuted in neighbouring Islamic countries. https://t.co/4GGDX5URnH pic.twitter.com/Dw622dR9We— Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) June 5, 2025
His platform includes expelling ICE from city operations, closing Rikers Island, and implementing citywide rent control — policies that have electrified progressives but alarmed centrists and conservatives alike.
Yet, the controversy surrounding his citizenship and faith has raised deeper questions about race, religion, and belonging in America. As the U.S. grapples with its identity ahead of the 2026 presidential elections, Mamdani’s candidacy is shaping up as a symbolic battleground — not only for Americans but for Indians and their diaspora communities around the world.
Legal Experts Push Back on Deportation Calls
Immigration experts and civil liberties advocates have condemned Republican calls for Mamdani’s denaturalization as legally baseless and politically motivated.
“Denaturalization is extremely rare and cannot be used as a political weapon,” said immigration attorney Priya Menon. “The law is clear: unless there’s fraud, war crimes, or concealed terrorism, a naturalized citizen’s status is as secure as any native-born American.”
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Mamdani has not responded directly to the attacks, but campaign sources say he remains focused on uniting a coalition of working-class voters, immigrants, and young progressives in a general election battle that promises to be both historic and deeply divisive.
