New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has opposed a planned August 29 appearance by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, saying the exclusionary politics he associates with the organisation conflicts with the pluralistic India he was taught by his family.
Mamdani, speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, stopped short of calling for the cancellation of the privately organised gathering at Madison Square Garden, saying he was unsure whether the city had jurisdiction to block a private event.
“I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event,” Mamdani said when asked whether the gathering should be cancelled.
His comments came as opposition to Bhagwat’s U.S. visit gathered momentum, with more than 1,000 people in the United States urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to deny or revoke the RSS chief’s visa, according to the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), which organised the campaign with allied groups.
The campaign also calls for Bhagwat’s planned New York appearance to be cancelled.
Mamdani, whose mother is from India, said his family’s understanding of the country was that of a “pluralistic society” and a “secular republic” in which everyone belonged, regardless of religion or background.
“And it has been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country, frankly,” he said.
He added that his opposition was rooted both in his Indian-American identity and his role as mayor of a city that, he said, believes in the belonging of people “no matter their color, their creed, their religion, their faith, wherever they’re from”.
Bhagwat is in the United States as part of the RSS’s international outreach during its centenary year. He is scheduled to address the “Universal Oneness Celebration”, organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD Forum), on August 29. Organisers describe the event as a gathering focused on unity, civic responsibility, social harmony and the Hindu principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or “the world is one family”.
Organisers say more than 200 Hindu American organisations are supporting the event and expect thousands of attendees. They have presented Bhagwat as a social and cultural leader whose appearance will form the centrepiece of a wider celebration coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
Critics, however, point to the RSS’s ideological influence in India and its association with Hindu nationalism. The RSS is widely regarded as the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), although it is organisationally separate from the party.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has repeatedly criticised conditions for religious minorities in India. In its 2026 annual report, it recommended that the U.S. consider targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and entry restrictions, against individuals and entities including the RSS over what it described as severe religious-freedom violations.
The RSS rejects allegations that it promotes intolerance, describing itself as a cultural organisation dedicated to uniting Hindus. The Indian government has also rejected accusations that its policies discriminate against minorities.
For India, the controversy is significant beyond the New York event itself. Bhagwat’s visit comes as the RSS marks 100 years since its founding in Nagpur in 1925, and the organisation has been seeking to strengthen engagement with Indian-origin communities overseas.
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