New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he opposes an upcoming Manhattan rally planned for Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist group ideologically aligned with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Al Jazeera reported.
Bhagwat is set to speak at the event on Saturday, called the Universal Oneness Celebration, according to organisers. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he didn’t support the rally but didn’t “know whether the city had any jurisdiction on cancelling the private event.
The mayor also said that having grown up learning of India as a pluralistic society, he was concerned about the increasing influence of what he termed an exclusionary vision within it.
Organisers, American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, said the summit was planned to create an awareness among people from all backgrounds that they share a common heritage and encourage unity in interfaith relations, with reference to the Hindu American community.
Bhagwat’s organisation has denied that the RSS is discriminatory in nature. The RSS, according to AP, calls itself a culturally focused, Hindu-centred movement. It has been the target of criticism from human rights groups regarding alleged discrimination toward minority religious communities but India’s BJP administration denies any sort of discrimination.
