In today’s polarized political landscape, rising leaders like Zohran Mamdani are facing fire from both extremes—the far-right and the corporate-backed centrists. Accusations of antisemitism, communism, and extremism are being hurled at him in a coordinated smear campaign.
Of course, these charges are baseless. But as history reminds us—from Joseph Goebbels to modern-day disinformation trolls—rumors often spread faster than facts, especially in the era of viral social media.
What makes Mamdani’s recent victory truly historic is that he defeated the Democratic Party establishment and their high-profile candidate, Andrew Cuomo in the primaries. Backed by the Clinton wing, mega-rich former mayor Michael Bloomberg, and big-money interests, Cuomo represented the old guard of New York politics. Yet Democratic voters, especially millions of new-generation young voters, chose Mamdani by a clear margin—nearly ten percentage points. It was a bold rejection of business-as-usual politics.
And the status quo political establishment is not happy. Their media mouthpieces are not happy.
Therefore, the fight isn’t over. With Cuomo refusing to concede and current Mayor Eric Adams also on the November ballot, the stakes are higher than ever. Both Cuomo and Adams now have one clear target: the growing democratic socialist movement represented by Mamdani and others across the U.S. And Trump has joined the bandwagon with his vow to destroy Mamdani’s “communism.” To Trump and his ilks, any politics that talk about civility and equality would be automatically branded as radical, far left, communist…even terrorist.
Unfortunately, many working-class Americans – including those I have taught for many years – fall for their lies.
Tensions rose even higher following a recent mass shooting in Manhattan, where a lone gunman killed four people, including NYPD officer Didarul Islam. In the aftermath, Mamdani’s longtime call to “defund the police” has been twisted and weaponized. Right-wing media outlets, Republican candidate and radio host Curtis Sliwa, and the Cuomo-Adams machine wasted no time exploiting the tragedy.
They blamed Mamdani for being anti-police—while conveniently ignoring America’s gun crisis and the NRA’s toxic influence.
Let’s be clear: Mamdani has never spoken out against law enforcement as a concept. What he has criticized—rightfully so—is the militarization of the NYPD and the systemic abuses that led to George Floyd’s murder and countless others. He calls for reform, accountability, and redistribution of public funds to support education, housing, and healthcare—not brutality.
The same distortion is at play with his stance on Palestine. Mamdani has never spoken against Jewish people. In fact, a huge number of liberal Jews, including some I personally know, support him. He has spoken against the war crimes and apartheid policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime. For this, he has been labeled antisemitic by defenders of the Israeli far right—ignoring his moral clarity and principled stand for human rights.
The backlash has not come from pro-Israel groups alone. Hindu right-wing forces—especially supporters of India’s Modi regime and the RSS—have entered the fray. The New York Times recently reported how these groups are actively campaigning against Mamdani. They see in him a vocal critic of Hindu ultra-nationalism and a defender of secular democracy, both in India and the U.S. That makes him their natural enemy.
As the November election nears, Zohran Mamdani faces an uphill battle. The smears will intensify. The attacks will grow more personal. But what he represents—a grassroots movement for justice, equality, and peace—is more powerful than any political machine.
We will be watching closely. And we will stand by him.
This is part of an ongoing series on the critically important November elections. Dr. Banerjee is a New York-based writer, educator, and human rights activist. A former member of India’s Hindu right-wing RSS, he has since exposed their global fascist agenda through his books and articles. Email: thescriptline@yahoo.com
