Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Mohan Bhagwat Defends Hindu-Muslim Inclusion During New York Dialogue
Mohan Bhagwat leads the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, in India.
At a meeting about different religions in New York, he said Muslims should have a place in India.
He said a Hindu who wants Muslims excluded would no longer be following the meaning of Hinduism.
Bhagwat also said people may follow different religions, but all humans have dignity.
He gave an example of RSS volunteers helping after two planes crashed near Dadri in Haryana.
The volunteers treated injured people and helped recover bodies and arrange last rites.
The 1996 crash killed all 349 people aboard the two planes.
Bhagwat said the volunteers helped without asking about anyone’s religion.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the RSS and called it a communal organization.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Hindutva does not envision an India without Muslims.
He said anyone who believes Muslims should have no place in India would cease to be Hindu.
Bhagwat said all religious paths lead toward the same goal and every person has dignity.
He cited RSS volunteers’ assistance to victims of the 1996 Dadri mid-air collision as evidence of religiously equal service.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the RSS as a communal organization linked ideologically to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
- Who
- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat spoke at the conference; New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani later criticized the RSS.
- What
- Bhagwat said Hindutva does not require excluding Muslims from India and emphasized religious amity and equal human dignity.
- When
- Saturday; the article says Bhagwat was on a broader tour of the United States.
- Where
- A multi-faith dialogue in New York; Bhagwat’s example concerned a crash near Dadri in Haryana, India.
- Why
- Bhagwat was addressing recurring questions about Muslims and the RSS concept of a Hindu Rashtra.
Bhagwat’s Position
Mamdani’s Criticism
Religious inclusion
Bhagwat’s Position
Bhagwat said Hindutva does not mean driving Muslims out of India and that a Hindu who believes Muslims should have no place would cease to be Hindu.
Mamdani’s Criticism
Mamdani has described the RSS as a communal organization, challenging its presentation as inclusive.
RSS’s public role
Bhagwat’s Position
Bhagwat said RSS volunteers serve everyone equally, do not seek political benefits, and do not publicize their work for rewards.
Mamdani’s Criticism
The article describes the RSS as ideologically linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, reflecting criticism of its political and communal influence.
- Speaker
- Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
- Event
- ‘One World, One Humanity’ faith leaders’ conference and multi-faith dialogue in New York
- Central message
- Bhagwat said Hindutva does not envisage an India without Muslims.
- Religious principle
- He said all paths lead toward the same goal and every human has dignity.
- Service activities
- Bhagwat said approximately 1.3 lakh RSS service projects are being carried out with society’s assistance.
- Crash cited
- Two aircraft collided near Dadri, Haryana, in 1996, killing all 349 passengers and crew.
- Criticism
- Zohran Mamdani described the RSS as a communal organization and an ideological source of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
