Mayor Mamdani opposes NYC event with leader of India's Hindu nationalist group

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced opposition on Tuesday to an upcoming event in his city that will feature Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the Hindu nationalist group responsible for shaping India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Bhagwat is scheduled to speak at a Manhattan gathering on Saturday, according to the event's website.

While Mayor Mamdani did not explicitly state that the event should be cancelled, he expressed concern over a movement he associates with an exclusionary vision. The mayor, who is the first Muslim and Indian American to hold the position, stated that his upbringing instilled in him a vision of India as a pluralistic, secular republic.

The event, titled "Universal Oneness Celebration," aims to unite the Hindu American community through shared heritage and interfaith unity. Organisers, American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, claim support from several Hindu American groups. However, local organisations have raised concerns over Bhagwat's attendance and the historical background of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP.

The RSS, which played a pivotal role in the BJP's rise to power, has previously organized foreign trips, including to the United States, to counter perceptions of being a paramilitary group involved in attacks on minority communities. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has previously accused the RSS of involvement in acts of extreme violence and intolerance against minority groups for decades.

The RSS denies these allegations and describes itself as a Hindu-centric civilizational movement with goals to elevate India to the "pinnacle of glory." Human rights groups, including the United Nations, have documented a rise in abuses against Indian minorities in recent years, citing hate speech, a religion-based citizenship law, the demolition of Muslim-owned properties, the removal of autonomy from occupied Kashmir, and an anti-conversion legislation that threatens freedom of belief.

The BJP-led Indian government maintains that its policies, such as food subsidy programmes and electrification drives, benefit all communities equally.