Manisha Pande, a ‘journalist’ at the leftist platform Newslaundry, has seemingly called for the importation of a far-left political movement to Delhi, using the city’s affordability and pollution crises as the rallying point for what critics argue is a push for radical political change.
In a post on social media platform X, Pande argued forcefully for a “Zohran-style affordability campaign” in Delhi, referencing the successful tenant rights movement led by self-proclaimed Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in New York. Her comments, while highlighting genuine and widely felt public grievances, have been interpreted by political observers as an attempt to instigate a political mobilization against the prevailing administration, using the city’s decay as its foundation.
“Posh Decay” and “Shabby” Reality: Painting a Picture of Crisis
While acknowledging widespread public anger over living conditions, Pande’s prescription goes beyond demanding government action. She advocates for a confrontational, grassroots movement modeled on Mamdani’s work, which is characterized by direct action against landlords and the political establishment.
Her post painted a dire picture of the city to build her case, citing skyrocketing rents where “The 30k 2BHKs of 2012 are at 80k today.” She juxtaposed the “posh decay” available to the wealthy with the “shabby one room for 10k next to garbage dumps” for the common citizen, concluding that the “janta can eat smog in the world’s most polluted city.”
Do we need a Zohran-style affordability campaign in Delhi? Hell ya! The rents in our city have achieved full liberation from logic. The 30k 2BHKs of 2012 are at 80k today. Those Defence Colony dream houses that were at 80k are now upwards of 1.5 lakh. You pay this premium to…
— Manisha Pande (@MnshaP) November 5, 2025
The Political Undercurrent: A Call for “Regime Change”?
While the issues Pande raised – exorbitant rent, toxic pollution, and failing infrastructure are undisputed problems in Delhi, the explicit call for a organized political campaign has added a charged, partisan layer to the critique.
The political implication of Pande’s call is stark. By invoking the “Zohran-style” model, she is not merely highlighting policy failures but is proposing a specific, ideologically-driven mobilization against the current governance structure. In Delhi, where the BJP now leads the city government and the central government, this is widely seen as an attempt to build a far-left counterweight to the prevailing political order.
Observers note that the strategy frames genuine, non-partisan issues such as pollution and high rents as direct consequences of the current administration, thereby laying the groundwork for a movement whose ultimate aim is a fundamental shift in power. The call attempts to channel public discontent into a structured, socialist-inspired campaign, moving from protest to a potential political force.
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