NEW DELHI: New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s words of sympathy for activist Umar Khalid, who has been in jail for over five years for his alleged involvement in a Delhi riots conspiracy case, drew a furious response Friday from BJP which said an outsider had no right to question Indian judiciary.“If any person supports an accused, comments on India’s internal affairs, then India will not tolerate it. Who is an outsider to question our democracy and judiciary, not the least offering support for someone who wants to break India?” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said. BJP’s strong words were also addressed to some US lawmakers, who have backed the demand for Khalid’s release.
BJP also accused Congress’s Rahul Gandhi of meeting “enemies” of india and acting as a “force-multiplier” for “anti-India” voices.Mamdani’s widely-reported letter to Khalid has especially angered BJP as the “democratic socialist” of Indian descent has a history of criticising India’s governing party and PM Narendra Modi.With New York home to a sizeable south Asian Muslim diaspora, BJP will be watchful of his attempts to step into India’s domestic issues as he looks to build his political profile beyond city politics. Muslims, believed to make up 7% of registered voters but estimated to have accounted for 15% of the votes cast in last year’s mayoral polls, were the backbone of Mamdani’s spectacularly successful campaign. His handwritten note to Umar had said, “I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you,” referring to his meeting with Umar Khalid’s father, SQ R Ilyas.Formerly of now-banned SIMI, Ilyas is associated with Welfare Party of India, and is a prominent face of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.Without naming Mamdani, Bhatia said his letter was not appropriate and violated decorum. “If it comes to India’s sovereignty, then 140 crore Indians will stand with Modi’s leadership,” he said.Khalid has been booked under UAPA 1967, and provisions of IPC for allegedly being the a key conspirator behind the Feb 2020 Delhi riots.BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya also responded to the note. He said on X, “Soon after taking oath as Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani appoints Ramzi Kassem as NYC Chief Counsel, who defended Ahmed al-Darbi in an al-Qaeda related terrorism case and also goes on to pen a letter in support of incarcerated Umar Khalid. This is not coincidence. It is ideological clarity. Join the dots.”
