Mamdani opposes New York event featuring Hindu nationalist RSS leader

As Mohan Bhagwat is set to speak at a Manhattan event on Saturday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he opposed the planned rally but was unsure whether the city had jurisdiction to cancel the private event, Al Jazeera reported.

Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is scheduled to address the Universal Oneness Celebration, according to organisers.

Mamdani said he did not support the rally but added that he did not “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; however, the party has denied any sort of discrimination.