New York, New Comrade

Zohran Mamdani's faith, support for Gaza, and dislike of Modi and Netanyahu are reasons why many in India are unhappy to see his rise, rather than celebrate it as another

- SHEKHAR GUPTA

Zohran Mamdani is going to be in the "talk", not just in New York City or American politics, but also in India. Or, rather than saying that he will be in the headlines, we could use language more apt for the digital era and his demographic: He's going to be a most searched name for some time.

There's enormous oomph to a 33-year-old, super-stylish and articulate Muslim of Indian origin, who is now a frontrunner to govern the most powerful, rich, Jewish, and cosmopolitan city in the world. In India, it has played into the Hindu-Muslim binary. In the minds of the Hindu Right, it is the conquest of another great global city by a Muslim from the sub-continent. Sadiq Khan of London being the other.

His support for Gaza, strong anti-Trumpism (in the US President's own borough), and endorsement by the Democratic Left make him a personality important enough for Donald Trump to write a long post on.

He's paid him "compliments" like "a 100% Communist lunatic", one who "looks terrible, his voice is grating" and so on. Of course, he also links his rise to his pet hate — the quartet of women politicians on the Democratic Left who he calls "the Squad", led by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or AOC.

The President's choice of words is, of course, Trumpian. In the Trump world, "Communist" or "lunatic" might be common enough description for anybody he dislikes, used as casually as old Captain Haddock of Tintin comics dismissing somebody as a pestilential pachyderm or, simply, a vegetarian. To be abused by President Trump isn't a liability in New York.

Do I have a problem, or even an opinion on Mr Mamdani's rise? The answers are: Problem, no; and opinion, it's great to see Indians rise in Western democracies. We took pride in Rishi Sunak, on the Indian Right, Kash Patel, Jay Bhattacharya, and even Hindu American Tulsi Gabbard are celebrated, as is the star cast of "Indian" CEOs. Mr Mamdani will be a stellar addition.