What Mamdani’s win means for the world
Zohran Mamdani has been elected as the new Mayor of New York City, the most populous and economically powerful city in the United States, often seen as a global hub for finance, commerce, and technology. The election drew worldwide attention and became one of the biggest political talking points in recent times. Mamdani’s victory as the first person of South Asian descent, the first Muslim, and the youngest in over a century to become New York’s mayor is nothing short of historic.
While these achievements alone are remarkable, Mamdani’s win carries deeper meaning, not just for American politics, but for the global political landscape. His rise to power in one of the world’s most influential cities is expected to create ripples across political systems and inspire movements far beyond the United States.
When the election process began, Mamdani wasn’t even considered a serious contender within his own Democratic Party. His chances were pegged at barely one percent, and many dismissed him as inexperienced. His turnaround from an underdog to the Mayor of New York is an inspiring story that will find a place in history. Standing up to some of New York’s biggest political heavyweights, Mamdani’s journey has become a modern-day David versus Goliath story, driven by perseverance, conviction, and a clear ideological purpose that will inspire young politicians across the world.
As the campaign progressed, several powerful leaders, including the US President Donald Trump, openly opposed him. Major American corporations also poured money into the race against Mamdani. According to Forbes, at least 26 billionaires collectively spent more than $22 million to support his opponents and run negative ads. Unmoved by these efforts, Mamdani stayed focused on grassroots support. His campaign attracted over 40,000 small donors, with an average contribution of just $98, the lowest in the race. In doing so, he proved that corporate money in politics has its limits.
Besides financial opposition, Mamdani faced intense racist and Islamophobic attacks. He was accused of sympathizing with terrorism, with his main opponent Andrew Cuomo even endorsing such sentiments indirectly. Despite this, Mamdani never hid his Muslim identity and campaigned on a message of inclusion and equality. Instead of responding to hate with hate, he stayed calm and focused on real issues that mattered to people.
His promises, from free childcare and public-funded affordable housing to city-owned grocery stores, rent freezes, and higher taxes on the wealthy, resonated deeply with ordinary New Yorkers. People realized that these were the issues that truly impacted their lives. At a time when most politicians rely on empty rhetoric and divisive narratives, Mamdani’s focus on everyday concerns set him apart.
Unlike many politicians who shy away from ideological labels, Mamdani proudly called himself a “Democratic Socialist” and promised to live by those values. In the heart of global capitalism, his unwavering ideological clarity stood out. Even when Trump mocked him as a “Crazy Marxist,” Mamdani remained composed and refused to engage in vindictive politics.
In a world witnessing rising anti-immigrant sentiment and nationalist movements, Mamdani’s election, an immigrant becoming the Mayor of New York, offers hope. It reinforces the idea that migration continues to be a powerful force shaping human progress and cultural exchange.
During the campaign, a video of Mamdani eating biryani with his hands went viral. While many saw it as a celebration of his cultural roots, others mocked it as “unsanitary” and “third world.” Such comments reflected a lingering colonial mindset rooted in Western superiority. Mamdani, however, stayed true to his heritage, even playing “Dhoom Machale” at his victory event.
What made Mamdani stand out even more was his clear stand on the Palestinian issue. He called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” and compared the situation to “apartheid.” In a city with about 1.3 million Jewish residents, the second-largest Jewish community in the world, his position was both bold and principled. Mamdani declared that as mayor, he would honor any International Criminal Court warrant against Israeli leaders, including arresting Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York. While critics accused him of antisemitism, Mamdani clarified that he opposed Zionism, not Judaism, standing firm on humanitarian grounds.
Even after his victory, it’s widely expected that Mamdani will face hurdles in governing. Trump had earlier threatened to cut federal funding to New York if Mamdani won. But Mamdani has remained defiant, saying he would not be intimidated and would instead asked Trump to “turn the volume up.” His resilience offers a lesson to leaders everywhere about standing firm on values, even under pressure.
In the United States, both major political parties, the Democrats and Republicans are often seen as “the same wine in different bottles,” with little difference in ideology or policy. It remains to be seen whether Mamdani’s victory will push the Democratic Party toward ideological introspection.
Mamdani’s victory has undoubtedly turned a new leaf in the present political scenario across the world. It has opened about a new ray of hope for the dwindling “issue based inclusive politics” all around the globe. It is curious to know how Mamdani’s own journey unfolds after a new chapter in his political journey. Whether his promise of issue based inclusive politics with “Democratic Socialism” at its helm reaches its logical end is another equally curious thing to watch out in the near future.
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Grok obscene AI content: X submits response, IT Ministry examining it, say sources
New Delhi (PTI): The IT Ministry is examining the response and submissions made by X following a government directive to crack down on misuse of artificial intelligence chatbot Grok by users for the creation of sexualised and obscene images of women and minors, sources said.
X had been given extended time until Wednesday, 5 PM to submit a detailed Action Taken Report to the ministry, after a stern warning was issued to the Elon Musk-led social media platform over indecent and sexually-explicit content being generated through misuse of AI-based services like 'Grok' and other tools.
Sources told PTI that X has submitted their response, and it is under examination.
The details of X's submission were, however, not immediately known.
On Sunday, X's 'Safety' handle said it takes action against illegal content on its platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
"Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," X had said, reiterating the stance taken by Musk on illegal content.
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On January 2, the IT Ministry pulled up X and directed it to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by Grok (X's built-in artificial intelligence interface) or face action under the law.
In the directive on Friday, the ministry asked the US-based social media firm to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours, spelling out specific technical and organisational measures adopted or proposed in relation to the Grok application; the role and oversight exercised by the Chief Compliance Officer; actions taken against offending content, users and accounts; as well as mechanisms to ensure compliance with the mandatory reporting requirement under Indian laws.
The IT Ministry, in the ultimatum issued, noted that Grok AI, developed by X and integrated on the platform, is being misused by users to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner.
"Importantly, this is not limited to creation of fake accounts but also targets women who host or publish their images or videos, through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs," the ministry said, asserting that such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in violation of stipulated laws.
The government made it clear to X that compliance with the IT Act and rules is not optional, and that the statutory exemptions under section 79 of the IT Act (which deals with safe harbour and immunity from liability for online intermediaries) are conditional upon strict observance of due diligence obligations.
"Accordingly, you are advised to strictly desist from the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content on your platform that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law...," the ministry said.
The government warned X in clear terms that any failure to observe due diligence obligations shall result in the loss of the exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, and that the platform will also be liable for consequential action under other laws, including the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It asked X to enforce user terms of service and AI usage restrictions, including ensuring strong deterrent measures such as suspension, termination and other enforcement actions against violating users and accounts.
X has also been asked to remove or disable access "without delay" to all content already generated or disseminated in violation of applicable laws, in strict compliance with the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021, without, as such, vitiating the evidence.
Besides India, the platform has drawn flak in the UK and Malaysia too. Ofcom, the UK's independent communications regulator, in a recent social media post, said: "We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children".
"We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response, we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation," Ofcom said.
