NYC: Mamdani opposes rally with Hindu nationalist leader

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim and Indian American leader, has stated he does not endorse an upcoming rally featuring Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Despite the city's limited authority to halt the event, Mamdani emphasized his opposition to the gathering, citing his commitment to fostering inclusivity and unity among all individuals, regardless of their background or beliefs.

The planned event, titled the Universal Oneness Celebration, is set to take place on Madison Square Garden's stage on Saturday, attracting an estimated 5,000 participants. Organizers emphasize the celebration as a platform to promote shared heritage and interfaith harmony, backed by over 135 Hindu American organizations. However, numerous interfaith and civil rights groups, including Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council, and the Interfaith Center of New York, have vehemently criticized the event in light of Bhagwat's association with the RSS and the group's troubled history.

These groups argue that RSS should not be granted a platform to present itself as a symbol of unity, given its past association with violence against minority communities. The RSS, founded in 1925, is a Hindu-centric civilizational and cultural movement with deep ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Recent years have witnessed the organization intensifying its global outreach, aiming to counter perceptions that it is a paramilitary group engaged in violence against religious minorities. International bodies, such as the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, have called for sanctions against the RSS, citing evidence of its involvement in attacks on religious minorities.

Despite India's BJP-led government denying any discriminatory intent, numerous human rights organizations have raised concerns about a rise in abuses against India's religious minorities.