New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Opposes RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden Event

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he does not support the planned Madison Square Garden event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, while acknowledging that the city may not have the legal authority to cancel the privately organised gathering. Bhagwat is scheduled to address members of the Indian diaspora in New York on August 29, TOI reported.

Zohran Mamdani Says He Opposes the RSS Event

Responding to questions about the planned gathering and calls for its cancellation, Mamdani said, “I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event.” Mamdani, who is New York’s first Indian-American mayor, said his opposition was also shaped by his understanding of India and its social fabric. ‘Return Kohinoor to India’: Zohran Mamdani Says He Would Urge King Charles To Hand Over Diamond (Watch Video).

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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Opposes RSS Event

He said the India he grew up knowing was a pluralistic and secular republic in which people from different communities belonged equally. He described the rise of what he characterised as an exclusionary movement as “incredibly troubling”.

Mohan Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden Programme

Bhagwat is expected to address around 5,000 members of the Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden on August 29 as part of the Universal Oneness Celebrations. The event is being organised by the AHEAD Forum. Organisers have described the programme as an effort to promote the idea of global unity and mutual respect, with the theme centred on the concept that the world is one family. ‘Egypt Were Robbed’, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Takes Viral Dig at Argentina’s Controversial FIFA World Cup 2026 Win (Watch Video)

Bhagwat arrived in the United States as part of the RSS’s centenary-year global outreach programme. His wider tour includes the US, Canada and the UK and is aimed at engaging Indian-origin and Hindu communities abroad.

Protests Planned Against the Event

The planned appearance has also drawn opposition from several diaspora, interfaith and civil rights organisations in New York. Groups including Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Centre of New York have publicly opposed Bhagwat’s appearance and urged the venue to cancel the programme. Representatives of several organisations held a press conference outside New York City Hall.

The protests reflect wider disagreements among sections of the Indian-American community over the RSS and its political and ideological influence in India.

City’s Authority Remains a Question

While Mamdani has made his personal position clear, he has stopped short of saying that his administration would intervene to prevent the event. His comments instead focused on the limits of municipal authority over a privately organised gathering. Whether city officials have a legal basis to cancel or restrict such an event remains a separate question from the mayor’s political opposition to it.

Mohan Bhagwat’s US Visit

Bhagwat’s New York appearance is part of a broader international outreach programme marking 100 years of the RSS. The visit comes as the organisation seeks to strengthen its engagement with Indian-origin communities overseas and present its views on India, Hindu society and the RSS to international audiences.

With the Madison Square Garden event approaching, Mamdani’s comments have added a prominent political voice to the debate surrounding Bhagwat’s appearance, while leaving the scheduled programme itself unchanged.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2026 07:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).