'Exclusionary vision...': New York mayor Zohran Mamdani reveals why he opposes RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's event
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Exclusionary vision...': New York mayor Zohran Mamdani reveals why he opposes RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's event")
Mohan Bhagwat's New York event sparks row as Mamdani says 'I don't support the rally' Photograph: (Combination image created using pics from AFP and ANI)
Mohan Bhagwat's upcoming New York event has sparked a political row, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying he does not support it while acknowledging the city may have limited authority over a private gathering.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he does not support a planned event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden, while acknowledging that the city may not have the legal authority to stop a private gathering.
Bhagwat is scheduled to address around 5,000 members of the Indian diaspora at the iconic New York venue on August 29. His US visit is part of the RSS's centenary-year global outreach programme.
"I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event," Mamdani said at a news conference on Tuesday (Aug 25).
Mamdani cites his Indian-American background
Responding to questions about Bhagwat, the RSS, and protests planned around the event, Mamdani said his opposition was also shaped by his family background. "I also stand here as the first Indian-American Mayor in our city's history, and my mother's family is all still in India," he said.
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Mamdani said he grew up with an understanding of India as a pluralistic and secular society in which people from different backgrounds could belong equally. "The vision of India that I was taught by my family and the one that I grew up being very familiar with was that of 'a pluralistic society, of a secular republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person who was from India'," he said.
He said he opposed what he described as the rise of an increasingly exclusionary political movement. "And it has been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country, frankly," Mamdani said.
He added that his opposition reflected not only his identity as an Indian-American but also his position as mayor of a city that he said believed in belonging regardless of "colour", "creed", religion, or background.
Civil rights groups call for cancellation
The Bhagwat event has also drawn opposition from several interfaith and civil rights organisations. Groups including Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council, and the Interfaith Centre of New York held a press conference outside New York City Hall and called for the event to be cancelled.
Bhagwat arrived in the US on Tuesday as part of the RSS's centenary-year outreach programme. During his New York visit, he is also expected to participate in the Universal Oneness programme.
The event is being organised by AHEAD Forum, which said Bhagwat would attend the Universal Oneness Celebration in New York on August 29.
"The event carries a timeless and universal message: 'The world is one family'," the organisers said, describing it as an appeal to look beyond divisions and promote mutual respect and harmony. Bhagwat's wider international tour includes the US, Canada and the UK as part of the RSS centenary-year global outreach programme.
