New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed his opposition to an RSS event featuring Mohan Bhagwat, citing concerns about the organization's exclusionary vision. This article also highlights objections raised in Canada and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom's call for sanctions against RSS members.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed his opposition to an upcoming event in which Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to speak. The RSS, a Hindutva organization, is the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On Tuesday, Bhagwat arrived in the United States to participate in the RSS's centenary-year global outreach program. He is scheduled to address around 5,000 Hindu-Americans and Hindu Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) at the Madison Square Garden on Saturday, according to Press Trust of India (PTI).
Responding to questions about the event and the RSS, Mamdani said it was 'incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country.' He stated that he was 'deeply' opposed to the RSS, both as an Indian-American and as mayor of New York. Mamdani grew up with a vision of India as a pluralistic society and a secular republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person who was from India.
Mamdani's statement comes against the backdrop of activists and political figures asking him to cancel Bhagwat’s event. Objections have also been raised in Canada about Bhagwat’s upcoming visit from August 31 to September 1.
In Canada, two Canadian MPs urged Ottawa to ban the RSS and prevent Bhagwat from entering the country on August 7, citing his ‘history of hate speech’ and advocacy of violence against religious minorities. They said his visit could ‘lead to social disorder’.
On August 19, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom called for sanctions against members of the RSS, describing the organization as ‘biased’ and lacking credibility. The commission had said that RSS leaders should not be given high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies. Dismissing this, New Delhi described the organization as ‘biased’ and lacking credibility on August 21.
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