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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that he does not support an upcoming Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) event at Madison Square Garden, though he acknowledged that the city is unauthorized to cancel a “private” program.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to address around 5,000 members of the Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden on August 29 as part of the organization’s centenary-year global outreach program.
“I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event,” Mamdani said at a press conference, shortly after Bhagwat arrived in New York.
Explaining his opposition, Mamdani said he had grown up with a vision of India as a “pluralistic society” and “secular republic” that believed in the “belonging” of everyone regardless of their background.
“So it is one that I find myself in deep opposition to,” he said, referring to the supposed rise of a movement he believes is “predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country.”
“So it is one that I find myself in deep opposition to. Not only as an Indian-American, but also as the mayor of a city that believes deeply in the belonging of each and every person, no matter their color, their creed, their religion, their faith, wherever they’re from…” he added.
Mamdani is the son of Indian-origin filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. He took charge as New York City mayor in January.
His comments came as multiple interfaith and civil-rights organizations held a press conference outside New York City Hall calling for Bhagwat’s scheduled appearance to be cancelled. The groups included Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Centre of New York.
The August 29 program, titled the ‘Universal Oneness Celebration,’ is being organized by AHEAD Forum.
AHEAD forum in a social media post said the event would carry the message that “the world is one family” and called upon people to “look beyond artificial divisions and differences, recognize the bonds that unite humanity, and embrace a spirit of mutual respect, harmony, and oneness.”
Bhagwat is visiting the US, Canada and the UK as part of the Sangh’s centenary-year global outreach program.
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