New Delhi, Sept. 20 -- Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-origin Democrat leading the race for New York City mayor, is facing mounting criticism from sections of the Indian-American community who accuse him of divisive rhetoric and "open bigotry" towards Hindus.

Mamdani, 33, was born in Uganda and became a US citizen in 2018. If elected, he would make history as New York's first Muslim mayor. However, several of his past remarks have resurfaced, drawing sharp reactions. He once described Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, the first Hindu-American elected to the New York State Assembly, as a puppet of "Hindu fascists." In 2020, he joined a protest in Times Square against the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, where some demonstrators were fi...