New York, NY, August 31, 2026: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat used a major gathering in New York over the weekend to emphasize religious coexistence, respect for diversity and the responsibilities of Indians living abroad, even as his visit drew protests and renewed debate over the influential Hindu organization’s ideology and record.
Addressing thousands of Indian Americans and interfaith leaders at the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 29, Bhagwat said diversity should not merely be tolerated but “celebrated, respected and accepted.”
“Diversity is natural and unity is truth,” Bhagwat said, describing India’s traditional worldview as one that sees humanity as fundamentally connected despite differences of religion, culture and identity.
In one of his most pointed comments, Bhagwat rejected the idea that Hindu identity requires the exclusion of Muslims from India.
“If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslims in India, he will not remain Hindu,” Bhagwat said during a faith leaders conference held in conjunction with the gathering.
He said being Hindu meant accepting that different paths could lead to the same divine truth and recognizing the dignity of every human being.
Bhagwat also had a direct message for Indians who have made the United States their home: their first responsibility is to the country where they live and work.
“We are in America. We live in America. We earn in America … and we should behave true to America,” he said, urging members of the diaspora to remain loyal to their “karmabhoomi,” or land of work, while retaining the values inherited from their “janmabhoomi,” or land of birth.
The Universal Oneness Celebration was organized by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, or AHEAD Forum. Organizers said more than 250 Hindu American organizations participated in the event, which was built around the Sanskrit concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — “the world is one family.”
The program brought together Hindu American community members as well as religious leaders from several faith traditions. Organizers said approximately 6,000 delegates representing 39 states, hundreds of U.S. cities and nearly 30 countries attended.
Bhagwat told the gathering that both India and the United States have diversity embedded in their national character.
He argued that India’s role should be to demonstrate that unity and diversity can coexist — “not by preaching, but by practice.”
But Bhagwat’s New York appearance also led to protests.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly opposed the event in the days before it was held, while acknowledging that the city likely had no authority to cancel a private gathering.
Mamdani said the India he had learned about from his family was “a pluralistic society” and “a secular Republic” in which every Indian belonged. He said he found the rise of what he described as an “exclusionary vision” troubling.
Several Hindu, Muslim, interfaith and civil rights organizations also protested Bhagwat’s appearance, arguing that the RSS’s record was inconsistent with the event’s message of universal unity.
Congressional nominee and former City Comptroller Brad Lander stood with the protesters outside the arena. “We’ve gathered here to say no to the RSS,” Lander said. “We are angry at Madison Square Garden for hosting this hate-filled fascist rally.”
“Our City rejects hate-based ideologies,” said New York City Council Member Julie Won, who condemned Madison Square Garden for lending its stage to “the leader of an organization tied to decades of violence against religious minorities.”
Safa Ahmed, Indian American Muslim Council Board Member, addressed the RSS directly: “You are being mocked by New York City. You will be remembered as an insecure group of people who could only take pride in their identity through the erasure of another — if you are remembered at all.”
“We are here because times are bleak and because we refuse to stay silent… Packaging 100 years of Hindu supremacy and minority vilification as a Universal Oneness is some top-tier PR gymnastics,” said Anuraag Khandelwal, from Hindus for Human Rights.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom went further, calling on the U.S. government to consider sanctions against RSS officials and revocation of Bhagwat’s visa over allegations concerning religious freedom in India.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the commission’s intervention, describing the body as biased and questioning its credibility.
Cover photo credit: Mohan Bhagwat/Facebook.
