New York Mayor Mamdani wrote a letter to Khalid: BJP got angry and said – India will not tolerate interference in internal affairs.

New Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of interfering in India’s internal affairs by writing a ‘note’ about activist Umar Khalid. The party also made it clear that India will not tolerate any such attempts.

Questioning Mamdani’s authority to comment on India’s internal affairs, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia warned the New York City mayor against such attempts, saying, “If India’s sovereignty is challenged, 140 crore Indians will stand united under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

He said that the people of India have “full faith” in the country’s judiciary. The comment came after Mamdani wrote a ‘note’ to Khalid, in which he recalled Khalid’s thoughts on ‘bitterness’ and the importance of not letting it take over. This ‘note’ of Mamdani was posted by Khalid’s associate Banojyotsna Lahiri on the social media platform ‘X’.

The handwritten ‘note’ also bears Mamdani’s signature. He wrote, “Dear Omar, I often remember your words about not letting bitterness dominate you. Nice to meet your parents. We are all worried about you.” Reacting sharply, Bhatia alleged, ”If anyone comes out in support of any accused and interferes in the internal affairs of India, the country will not tolerate it.”

When asked about Mamdani’s letter at a press conference held at the party headquarters here, the BJP spokesperson said, “Who is this outsider who will question our democracy and judiciary and that too in support of a person who wants to break India?” This is not fair.”

A case was registered against Khalid and some others under provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for being “key conspirators” in the February 2020 Delhi riots case. 53 people were killed and more than 700 people were injured in this riot. Under UAPA, obtaining bail becomes more difficult and the burden is on the accused to prove that the case is false.