Hindu wanting Muslims out of India won’t remain a Hindu: Mohan Bhagwat in New York

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday declared that a Hindu who advocates India should be devoid of Muslims is not genuinely a Hindu. Speaking at a faith leaders' conference in New York titled 'One World One Humanity,' Bhagwat emphasized that one must believe in the unity of all paths leading to the same destination, and the inherent dignity of every human being.

He stated that external differences are merely superficial decorations of nature, and while one must navigate these distinctions in daily life, the underlying reality remains that we are all part of one humanity. The RSS leader recounted his experience in 2018 when Muslim individuals questioned him about his claim of a Hindu Rashtra during a lecture series in Delhi.

Bhagwat explained that he firmly stated, "no, that is not Hindutva. If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he ceases to be a Hindu." The RSS chief's remarks came as he arrived in the United States for the organisation's centenary-year global outreach program, which includes stops in Canada and the UK. His upcoming address to a crowd of approximately 5,000 at Madison Square Garden drew criticism from several civil rights organizations, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who expressed his lack of support for the event but acknowledged the city's limited jurisdiction to cancel it.