'Give up your communal thinking': Kanwal Sibal slams Zohran Mamdani for comments against PM Modi

Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal slammed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his outreach to the Hindu American voters on Diwali. Sibal said in a post on X that "people like Mamdani" need to give up their communal thinking cloaked as secularism. 

He also mentioned that Hinduism is pluralistic in nature due to the multiplicity of gods, philosophies, and ways of practising the religion. Sibal added that India not only belongs to Indians but millions of non-Indians, including Rohingyas, have chosen to migrate to India illegally. 

"Usual superficial nonsense by anti-Hindus like this person. Hinduism is intrinsically pluralist in nature with its multiplicity of divinities, philosophies, and ways of practising the faith. Hindus do not need to be lectured on pluralism. It is people like Mamdani who need to give up their communal thinking disguised as secularism," he wrote. 

Sibal, who has also served as India's Ambassador to countries such as Russia and France, noted that nobody has been denied their democratic rights in India or the benefits of the government's welfare schemes. 

"To say 'Modi and BJP have room for certain kind of Indians' is deplorable communal propaganda. BJP is not in power in many major states. Its voter base is about 37% of the electorate. Those in non-BJP-ruled states and 63% of the voters have no room in India?" Sibal said towards the end of his post. 

Kanwal Sibal's take came after the New York City mayoral candidate defended his repeated criticism of PM Modi during an outreach to Hindu American voters on Diwali. Mamdani said that he grew up in an India that celebrated pluralism. 

Furthermore, he accused Modi and the BJP of having a "vision of an India that only has room for certain kinds of Indians". 

"So, I have been critical of Mr. Modi because of the vision that I grew up with was of an India that was pluralistic, an India where everyone belonged, no matter their religion. And my critique has been of Mr. Modi and the BJP political party for their vision of an India that only has room for certain kinds of Indians, and it's part of a belief that pluralism is something to be celebrated, something to be strived for," he said.