The BJP on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of "interfering" in India's internal matters by writing a note to jailed activist Umar Khalid and asserted that India will not tolerate it.
Questioning Mamdani's locus standi to comment on the issue, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also cautioned the New York City Mayor against such efforts, asserting, "If India's sovereignty is challenged, 140 crore Indians will stand united under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership."
People of India have "complete faith" in the country's judiciary, he added.
The reaction came after Mamdani wrote a note for Khalid, recalling his words on "bitterness" and the importance of not letting it consume one's self.
The note was posted on X by Khalid's partner Banojyotsna Lahiri.
"When prisons try to isolate, words travel. Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid," the caption accompanying the note said.
In a letter to Khalid, Mamdani wrote, "Dear Umar, 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.”
A group of US lawmakers had also written a letter to India's Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra, urging a fair and timely trial for Khalid in "accordance with international law".
Reacting sharply, Bhatia charged, "If anybody comes out in support of any accused and interferes in India's internal matters, the country will not tolerate it."
"Who is this outsider to raise questions on our democracy and judiciary, and that too coming in support of a person who wants to break India? This is not fair," the BJP spokesperson said at a press conference at the party headquarters here, when asked about Mamdani's note.
Bhatia also lashed out at Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leader meets "anti-India forces and enemies of India" during his foreign trips, and encourages them to spread "falsehood" against India.
Gandhi also "lies" about India during his visits abroad, showing no regard for the responsibility he has as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, he charged.
"It is not appropriate for him (Gandhi) to have enmity with India and maintain brotherhood with George Soros (American billionaire and investor) and Ilhan Omar (US lawmaker). This is not fair. People of India will never forgive him," Bhatia added.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of having recurring links with an "anti-India lobby" operating abroad.
In a post on X, Bhandari shared a photo of the Leader of the Opposition alongside U.S. lawmakers Jan Schakowsky and Ilhan Omar and claimed that such international interactions tarnish India's reputation.
He noted that in 2024, US Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky met Rahul Gandhi in the United States, along with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whom Bhandari described as "anti-India."
"HOW THE RAHUL GANDHI - ANTI INDIA LOBBY WORKS? 2024: Jan Schakowsky meets Rahul Gandhi in the United States -- along with Anti India Ilhan Omar. January 2025:She reintroduces the "Combating International Islamophobia Act", explicitly naming India and alleging "crackdowns on Muslim communities," the post added on X.
In 2026, Schakowsky wrote to India raising concerns over Umar Khalid, accused under UAPA in riot-related cases," Bhandari said.
"Cut to 2026: The same Jan Schakowsky writes to the Government of India, raising "concerns" over Umar Khalid -- an accused under UAPA in serious cases linked to riots and violence. EVERY TIME AN ANTI INDIA NARRATIVE IS PEDDLED ABROAD, One name keeps recurring in the background: Rahul Gandhi. Those who want to weaken India, defame its elected government, and dilute its anti-terror laws seem to inevitably converge around him," BJP spokesperson added.
Bhandari's remarks came after Rahul Gandhi, during an address at the Hertie School in Berlin as part of his five-day visit to Germany, criticised the BJP-led central government and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for India would fail and reiterated his allegation that the BJP is "capturing" the country's institutional framework, terming it an "attack" on the democratic system.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) also slammed Mamdani for his note for jailed activist Umar Khalid, alleging that he insulted the Quran by coming out in defence of "criminals who talk about dividing India".
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said, "The so-called US lawmakers and the New York City Mayor are standing by criminals in India but keep mum on what's happening in Bangladesh. They also keep mum when Hindus and their temples are attacked in the US."
Criticising Mamdani for writing a note for Khalid, the VHP spokesperson said the New York City mayor should have ascertained the "truth" about him before doing so.
"What kind of mindset is this? Standing by killers, the newly elected mayor, who took an oath on the Quran, is insulting it. This is not right," Bansal said and asked Mamdani to "introspect".
Khalid and a few others have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, (UAPA) 1967, and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Getting bail under the UAPA is difficult for those booked under this law as the onus to show that the case is false lies on the accused.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)