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

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed his opposition to an upcoming event in Manhattan featuring Mohan Bhagwat, chief of India's Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Mamdani, the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor, stated, "I don't support the rally," citing his vision of India as a "pluralistic society of a secular Republic" and finding the RSS's "exclusionary vision" troubling. The event, scheduled for August 29 and billed as a "Universal Oneness Celebration," is organized by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue. Local organizations have criticized Bhagwat's attendance due to the RSS's history, which the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says "has been involved in acts of extreme violence and intolerance against members of minority groups for decades." The RSS denies these accusations, asserting it is a "Hindu-centric civilizational, cultural movement."