Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Bhagwat Defends Unity in Diversity, Opposition Challenges RSS Record
Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the RSS, gave a speech in New York.
He said India should show that people with different identities can still live as one.
He also told Indians living in America to respect and be loyal to the country where they work and live.
Bhagwat said Hindus should not believe that Muslims must be driven out of India.
Some groups and politicians in the United States had opposed his event because they see the RSS as exclusionary.
Indian Opposition politicians said his words sounded different from what some groups connected to the RSS do in India.
They challenged him to follow these ideas at home as well as abroad.
Bhagwat said people should fight wickedness rather than destroy people.
The disagreement is mainly about whether his message of harmony matches the conduct of RSS-affiliated organisations.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told a New York audience that India’s destiny is to show the world that unity and diversity can coexist.
He urged the Indian diaspora to remain loyal to America while retaining the values imparted by their land of birth.
Bhagwat rejected the misconception that the RSS is anti-Muslim and said anyone advocating that Muslims be driven from India cannot be a Hindu.
The event faced protests from civil rights and interfaith groups, Democrats, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who criticized the RSS’s alleged exclusionary vision.
Indian Opposition leaders accused Bhagwat of hypocrisy, citing alleged actions and statements by RSS-affiliated groups in India.
- Who
- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed an Indian diaspora audience; critics included Zohran Mamdani and Indian Opposition leaders.
- What
- Bhagwat promoted unity in diversity, defended the RSS against accusations of anti-Muslim views, and urged diaspora members to respect America.
- When
- Saturday; the remarks followed protests over the event and an alleged incident in Ahmedabad days earlier.
- Where
- New York, at an event held at Madison Square Garden; the cited opposing incident occurred in Ahmedabad, India.
- Why
- The speech was part of the RSS’s centenary-year global outreach, described as an effort to counter alleged misinformation about India, Hindus, and the Sangh.
Bhagwat and RSS Position
Critics’ Position
Unity and diversity
Bhagwat and RSS Position
Bhagwat said unity and diversity are central to India’s civilisational identity and should be celebrated, respected, and accepted.
Critics’ Position
Critics questioned whether the RSS’s public record reflects a genuinely pluralistic and inclusive vision.
Treatment of Muslims
Bhagwat and RSS Position
Bhagwat said a Hindu who believes Muslims should be driven out of India cannot remain a Hindu, and described India as standing for “live and let live.”
Critics’ Position
Opposition leaders said such statements should be made and implemented in India, alleging that RSS and BJP-linked rhetoric has harmed individual freedoms and Hindu-Muslim harmony.
Words versus actions
Bhagwat and RSS Position
Bhagwat framed enmity as a man-made condition and said the goal should be to destroy wickedness rather than wicked people.
Critics’ Position
Opposition leaders cited the alleged Ahmedabad assault and statements by RSS-affiliated groups as evidence that actions do not match Bhagwat’s message.
- Speaker
- Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the RSS
- Event theme
- Universal Oneness Celebration
- Location
- Madison Square Garden, New York
- Core message
- India should demonstrate that unity and diversity can coexist
- Diaspora message
- Indians in America should behave loyally toward America while retaining values from their land of birth
- Main criticism
- Opposition leaders questioned whether Bhagwat’s statements match the conduct of RSS-affiliated organisations in India
- Cited Ahmedabad incident
- Bajrang Dal and VHP activists allegedly assaulted members of a civil society group during readings of books by Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank