New York mayor Mamdani says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s Aug.29 event in city 'may not be cancelled'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signalled that his administration is unlikely to intervene to stop RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s event at Madison Square Garden, saying the city may not have the authority to cancel a private gathering.

"I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on canceling a private event,” Mamdani told reporters on Tuesday.

His remarks came as a coalition of 61 civil rights, faith, community and advocacy organisations pressed Madison Square Garden to cancel the August 29 event.

Mamdani said he opposed movements based on an exclusionary vision while recalling the idea of India he inherited from his family.

"I also stand here as the first Indian American mayor in our city's history, and my mother's family is all still in India,” he said.

"The vision of India that I was taught by my family, and the one that I grew up being very familiar with was of a pluralistic society of a secular republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person who was from India,” Mamdani said.

"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 added.

Mamdani said he found himself "in deep opposition” to such a movement, both as an Indian American and as the mayor of a diverse city.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 10th Congressional District, City Council Member Shahana Hanif and representatives of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Dalit and Christian communities joined the campaign against the Bhagwat event at a news conference outside New York City Hall.

Referring to the Garden’s hosting of a German American Bund rally in 1939, Lander added: "It should not host this one.”

Hanif said New York’s diverse South Asian communities "have felt the impacts of the hateful ideology and violence associated with the RSS.”

Amin Zama of the Indian American Muslim Council said the campaign was directed against an ideology rather than a religious community. "Our message today is not against Hindus,” he said. "Our message is against an ideology that seeks to define citizenship and national belonging through religious identity.
BJP leaders slam Mamdani's comments

BJP leaders on Wednesday criticised New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his remarks concerning an upcoming RSS event in the city, with BJP leader and Senior Advocate Nalin Kohli saying that opposing the event was inconsistent with Mamdani's stated position on pluralism.

Kohli said that if Mamdani advocates pluralism, he should not object to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat holding a rally in New York.

"I saw what Mamdani said in the media. On one hand, he is talking about pluralism and making big statements about it, while on the other hand, he is saying that Mohan Bhagwat's rally should not take place and is opposing it," Kohli said.

"If he is talking about pluralism, he should have no problem with Mohan Bhagwat holding a rally. You cannot talk about pluralism while taking a position that is completely contrary to it," he added.

Mamdani had earlier said he did not support the rally but was unsure whether the city had jurisdiction to cancel a private event.

Kohli's remarks came amid a political debate over Bhagwat's proposed US visit and an RSS-related event in New York, with BJP leaders defending the organisation's activities and questioning opposition to the gathering.

In Mumbai, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said people should listen to Bhagwat's views before drawing conclusions about the RSS or its ideology.

"For people of Indian origin living abroad, if they draw conclusions without actually listening to the revered Sarsanghchalak, what kind of ideology does that reflect?" Kadam said.

He said Bhagwat was working to restore India's past glory and promote the ideology of Sanatan Hindu Dharma and Hindutva globally.

"It makes no difference whether Zohran Mamdani attends or not. There are many people there who are very eager to hear the Sarsanghchalak speak," Kadam said.

BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana suggested that Mamdani's remarks could have been made keeping local political considerations in mind.

"They might have issued that statement for their own local political consumption. Otherwise, the RSS is one of the world's most disciplined organisations, working for the health and well-being of millions of people," Khatana said.

Meanwhile, TMC MP Saugata Roy took a different view, saying the issue would ultimately be decided by New York's city authorities.

"He is the mayor of a major city, and he has to decide whether or not to allow it. We will have to see what decision he takes," Roy said.

He added that New York's character as a multireligious city would also be relevant to the debate.

"But in a city like New York, which is multireligious, the RSS ideology will not work, so the city authorities will decide," Roy said.

Indo-Asian News Service