Mamdani Thanks Family From 'Kampala To Dilli&#8217 , Vows To Govern 'Audaciously&#8217

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) New York- Indian-origin politician Zohran Mamdani vowed to govern“expansively and audaciously” and deliver an agenda of affordability for New Yorkers as he thanked his family from“Kampala to Dilli” after being sworn-in as the 112th Mayor of New York City.

Mamdani was administered the oath of office by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont at a ceremonial inauguration outside City Hall on Thursday, the seat of New York City government, on New Year's day.

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He was formally sworn-in as New York City's 112th Mayor by New York Attorney General Letitia James at a private ceremony held at the turn of the new year on December 31 in an old subway station here.

He became the first South Asian and Muslim elected to helm the largest city in the US.

In his nearly 25 minute speech to New Yorkers after taking the oath of office Thursday, Mamdani said that“beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed. But never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.”

He vowed that under his administration, City Hall will“deliver an agenda of safety, affordability, and abundance, where government looks and lives like the people it represents, never flinches in the fight against corporate greed, and refuses to cower before challenges that others have deemed too complicated.”

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Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalized US citizen only recently in 2018.

Mamdani thanked his parents, who were present for the swearing-in ceremony, as well as his wife Rama Duwaji for their support. He also expressed gratitude to his family from Uganda to India.

“Thank you to my parents, Mama and Baba, for raising me, for teaching me how to be in this world, and for having brought me to this city. Thank you to my family, from Kampala to Dilli. And thank you to my wife, Rama, for being my best friend, and for always showing me the beauty in everyday things,” he said.

Thousands of Mamdani's supporters, from youth to the elderly, braved freezing temperatures on January 1 and stood for hours outside and near City Hall, cheering him and celebrating his victory and inauguration at a block party organized on the occasion. They said the New Year was ushering in an era of hope and promise as the new Mamdani administration begins its term in the city.

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