Zohran Mamdani on RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s event in New York: “I Don’t Support Rally”

The leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would be attending an event in New York City, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated on Tuesday that he did not endorse it.

The website for the event states that RSS president Mohan Bhagwat will speak at a Manhattan event on Saturday.
“I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event,” Mamdani, who is the first Muslim and Indian American mayor of New York City, said when asked if the event should be cancelled.
“The vision of India that I was taught by my family and one that I grew up being very familiar with was of a pluralistic society of a secular Republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person who was from India. And it has been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision.”
The event’s website casts the August 29 gathering as the “Universal Oneness Celebration” bringing together the Hindu American community.
The event is supported by multiple Hindu American organizations and encourages interfaith harmony and common heritage, according to its organizers, American Hindus for Engagement and Dialog. Bhagwat’s attendance and the RSS’s past have drawn criticism from numerous local organizations.

The RSS said in May that it had arranged trips abroad, notably to the US, to dispel rumors that it is a paramilitary group that targets communities of color. The RSS refutes claims of intolerance and claims to be a “Hindu centric civilizational, cultural movement” with the mission of “carrying the nation to the pinnacle of glory,” which includes bringing Hindus together.