Now Reading: NYC mayor opposes RSS chief Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden event
-
01
NYC mayor opposes RSS chief Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden event
NYC mayor opposes RSS chief Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden event
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he does not support the planned event at Madison Square Garden featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat this week, though he acknowledged the city may…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he does not support the planned event at Madison Square Garden featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat this week, though he acknowledged the city may lack jurisdiction to cancel the private booking. Mamdani, who identifies as New York's first Indian-American mayor, said he was in "deep opposition" to a movement based on an "exclusionary vision," contrasting it with the pluralistic, secular India his family taught him. He spoke at a press conference where he was asked about protests against the August 29 rally expected to draw 5,000 people.
Several civil rights organisations, including Hindus for Human Rights and the Indian American Muslim Council, have urged MSG to cancel the event. Bhagwat arrived in the US on Tuesday as part of the RSS's centenary-year global outreach, which also includes Canada and the UK. The organiser, AHEAD Forum, is hosting him under the banner "Universal Oneness Celebration," saying his message carries the theme that the world is one family.
RSS joint general secretary CR Mukunda said last week that Bhagwat's visit aims to present a factual and positive perspective on India, Hindu society and the RSS. Mamdani took office as NYC mayor in January and is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The controversy around Mohan Bhagwat's Madison Square Garden address has precedents in earlier overseas tours by RSS leaders, which have drawn protests from diaspora groups who see the Sangh's ideology as incompatible with secular pluralism. The event is organised by AHEAD Forum, a trust that presents the RSS chief's message as one of universal oneness, a framing that civil rights organisations reject as obscuring the Sangh's Hindutva agenda. New York City's mayoral office has limited legal power over private venue bookings, so the decision likely rests with MSG management and local authorities who can issue permits. The real pressure point will be whether the backlash prompts the venue or city agencies to impose conditions or deny permission before the August 29 gathering of 5,000 attendees.
Source: deccanchronicle.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
