New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed opposition to an upcoming event in Manhattan featuring Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), scheduled for August 29. According to the event’s website, the gathering is billed as the “Universal Oneness Celebration,” organized by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, which claims to promote shared heritage and interfaith unity among the Hindu American community. However, Mamdani, the first Muslim and Indian American mayor of New York City, stated that he does not support the rally, citing concerns over the RSS’s ideological alignment with the exclusionary vision of India, which contrasts with the pluralistic and secular society he was taught to value.
The RSS, the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has faced criticism from local organizations and international bodies over its history of alleged violence and intolerance against minority groups. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has accused the RSS of involvement in extreme acts of violence and intolerance, while the RSS disputes these claims, describing itself as a “Hindu centric civilisational, cultural movement” focused on uniting Hindus and advancing national glory. The event’s organizers maintain that it is backed by several Hindu American groups, but the scheduled appearance of Bhagwat has sparked controversy and calls for cancellation from critics who view the RSS’s presence as problematic. Source