A speech by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in New York has drawn criticism from opposition leaders, who accused him of hypocrisy and questioned why he made the remarks in the United States rather than in India.
Speaking on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the “One World, One Humanity” faith leaders conference, Bhagwat said, “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not be a Hindu.”
Congress leader Priyank Kharge, a vocal critic of the “unregistered” RSS, said Bhagwat’s comments reflected “quite a transformation in language when the audience changes.”
“The RSS will seemingly go to any lengths to mobilise funds from the Indian diaspora for its Vichar Parivar that sows communal seeds in the society,” Kharge wrote on X.
Kharge urged people to examine Bhagwat’s remarks alongside the RSS’s outreach among the Indian diaspora.
“Behind the language of ‘Universal Oneness’ lies a question that deserves scrutiny: Why does the language of Hindu Rashtra at home become the language of inclusivity and interfaith harmony abroad?” Kharge said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also criticised Bhagwat, saying the RSS chief should make similar statements in India. He described the contrasting positions as “dhonk”, or hypocrisy, in Hindu religious terminology.
“Mohan Bhagwat should make such a statement in India rather than in America,” he said.
“Bharat me aaakar dusri baat karoge aur, New York me jab aapke khilaf andolan hota hai toh dusri baat karenge, Hindu dharm me usko dhonk kehte hai (You speak another thing in India, yet speak quite differently when there is a protest against you in New York. In Hinduism, this is called hypocrisy),” Raut said.
Aam Aadmi Party Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj said Bhagwat should direct the same message at BJP leaders whom he accused of engaging in communal politics.
“He should tell this to leaders like Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra. He should tell Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Yogi Adityanath, and Suvendu Adhikari, who often make headlines with statements that spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims,” the AAP leader said.
Bhardwaj added that the party would welcome any genuine shift in Bhagwat’s position.
However, if Mohan Bhagwat has truly had a change of heart, we welcome it, Bhardwaj said.
Bhagwat arrived in the United States on Tuesday, Aug. 25, amid protests and calls from a U.S.-based religious freedom group for the government to revoke his visa.
Ahead of his New York appearance, protesters gathered outside Madison Square Garden, chanting slogans including “The RSS has got to go”. Bhagwat was expected to address nearly 5,000 people at the event.
One protester, speaking through a loudspeaker, said, “Mohan Bhagwat is not bringing unity to New York. He represents a century-old Hindu fascist project that has deep roots here in the imperialist core in the US diaspora.”
The New York programme forms part of the RSS’s centenary-year global outreach initiative, which also includes events in Canada and Britain.
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