NYC: Mamdani opposes rally with Hindu nationalist leader

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced opposition to an upcoming event featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, calling the Hindu nationalist group's ideology "exclusionary" while acknowledging the city can't block a private event.

Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is scheduled to speak at a Manhattan event

"I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction to cancel a private event," Mamdani, who is the first Muslim and Indian American mayor of New York City, said.

Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is scheduled to speak at a Manhattan event on Aug 29.

Mamdani opposes NYC event with leader of India's Hindu nationalist group  Reuters

Zohran Mamdani says he opposes a right-wing Hindu nationalist event scheduled for next week at Madison Square Garden.

Bhagwat is scheduled to address around 5,000 members of the Indian diaspora at the iconic New York venue on August 29. His visit to the United States is part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's centenary-year global outreach programme. "I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction on ca

Activists urge Mamdani to cancel Hindu nationalist event in New York City Azad Essa on Tue, 08/25/2026 - 12:58 The mayor is being urged to cancel an event featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and condemn the movement's rising presence in the US A mobile billboard truck displays a message urgi