New York: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to address members of the Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden in New York on August 29 as part of the organisation’s centenary-year global outreach programme.
Bhagwat arrived in New York on Tuesday as part of a wider international visit that will also take him to Canada and the United Kingdom. He is expected to participate in the ‘Universal Oneness’ programme at the iconic venue, where around 5,000 people are expected to attend.
The event has attracted political and community attention in New York. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the programme but acknowledged that the city’s authority over a privately organised event could be limited. He said he was uncertain whether the city had jurisdiction to cancel the programme.
Responding to questions about the RSS, Mamdani described the organisation as representing what he views as an “exclusionary” vision and said he opposed such an approach. However, the scheduled event is being organised as a private programme and remains set to take place at Madison Square Garden.
The programme comes as the RSS marks its centenary, with the organisation undertaking a series of initiatives aimed at connecting with the Indian diaspora and presenting its perspective on India’s civilisational heritage, cultural identity and social traditions.
Several interfaith and civil rights organisations, including Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Centre of New York, have opposed the event and urged Madison Square Garden to cancel it.
The RSS programme is nevertheless expected to provide Bhagwat an important international platform to engage with members of the Indian diaspora and discuss the organisation’s centenary journey and its broader vision for social and cultural engagement.
