RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s event in New York on August 29 has run into controversies after New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s remarks against the outfit. Many US-based Hindu organisations have also voiced their opposition of the event, Universal Oneness Celebrations, which is being held at the Madison Square Garden. The event is being organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) forum.
HAF is issuing this security alert in advance of the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Stay vigilant, remain situationally aware, and keep interactions civil. Ahead of the event, activists targeting Hindu Americans have attempted to disrupt and cancel the celebration. We urge @NYCMayor Zohran Mamdani to uphold his sworn duty to protect all New Yorkers, including event attendees, and guarantee everyone’s safety and civil rights.
One such organisation is Hindus for Human Right whose executive director Sunita Viswanath said that 61 interfaith and secular organisations have signed an open letter protesting Saturday’s event.
She said many of the groups’ supporters will show up in person with the message that “the RSS and their Hindutva ideology do not represent us”, news agency PTI reported. In a post on X, HAF said, “COMMUNITY ADVISORY ALERT! Ahead of the event, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said that it was “incredibly troubling” to see the rise of a movement in India that was based on what he called an “exclusionary vision”.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mamdani stressed his opposition to the rally but pointed out that the city’s government likely did not have the jurisdiction to cancel a private event.
“It has been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country, frankly.
So it is one that I find myself in deep opposition to,” he said.
