New York City Mayor Eric Adams has launched a blistering attack on Democratic mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, branding him “divisive, dangerous, and anti-Hindu” in a post on X.
Adams wrote shortly after the release of the city’s sample ballot for the 4 November election:
“Zohran Mamdani’s record is clear: divisive, dangerous, and anti-Hindu. New Yorkers deserve a mayor who unites, not one who spreads hate.”
Adams has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of his rival, telling the New York Post that Gen Z voters backing Mamdani have made the current electoral season the “nastiest” he has ever seen. He accused left-leaning institutions of radicalising young people, claiming they were being taught to “hate their city and country.”
Despite calls for him to step aside, Adams has vowed to stay in the race. “I am in this race. And I am the only one who can beat Mamdani,” he said.
“Everyday New Yorkers are not giving up … so their mayor is not going to do that.”
Mamdani, the Indian-origin Democrat born in Uganda and a US citizen since 2018, has faced mounting criticism from sections of the Indian-American community for what they describe as “open bigotry” towards Hindus.
In the past, he accused Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar — the first Hindu-American elected to the New York State Assembly — of being a puppet of “Hindu fascists.”
He also joined a 2020 protest in Times Square against the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, where some demonstrators were filmed chanting anti-Hindu slogans. Mamdani has further courted controversy with remarks about global politics, including criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
If elected, Mamdani would become New York’s first Muslim mayor. The son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, he remains a polarising figure in a race now increasingly framed as a showdown between his brand of democratic socialism and Adams’ appeal for unity.
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