Now Reading: NYC mayor opposes RSS chief Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden event
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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 on Tuesday opposed the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned August 29 event at Madison Square Garden but said the city may lack jurisdiction to cancel the…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday opposed the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned August 29 event at Madison Square Garden but said the city may lack jurisdiction to cancel the private gathering. Bhagwat arrived in the US earlier Tuesday for the RSS centenary-year global outreach.
The mayor, the first Indian-American to hold the post, said the event promotes an exclusionary vision contrary to his family's pluralistic India and the city's values. Several organisations including Hindus for Human Rights and Indian American Muslim Council held a press conference outside City Hall urging MSG to cancel.
The Universal Oneness Celebration, organised by AHEAD Forum, describes the event as carrying a message of unity: 'The world is one family'. Bhagwat's US tour also covers Canada and the UK.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Madison Square Garden venue has long been a stage for political and cultural figures, but hosting an RSS chief would be unprecedented for a foreign organisation head whose parent body is banned in India only during emergency periods. The mayor's stance reflects the broader tension between India's domestic political currents and the diaspora's diverse makeup. New York City law generally bars the city from blocking private venue rentals based on content, a First Amendment protection rooted in the 1976 Madison Square Garden case. The event goes ahead on August 29 unless the venue itself cancels, which MSG has not indicated it will.
Source: newindianexpress.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
