Measured Mamdani on RSS in New York: ‘I don’t support the rally’—but stops short of seeking its cancellation

“I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event,” Mamdani said on Tuesday when asked whether the August 29 programme featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should be cancelled.

The response adds a new layer to the debate surrounding Mamdani's views on India, particularly given his brutal past criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.

Speaking about the RSS event, Mamdani invoked the India he knew through his family and upbringing.

“The vision of India that I was taught by my family and one that I grew up being very familiar with was of a pluralistic society — a secular Republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person who was from India,” he said.

He added that he found the rise of a movement based on what he described as an “exclusionary vision” troubling. The RSS has rejected allegations of intolerance and describes itself as a cultural organisation working to unite Hindus.

Mamdani's comments are likely to attract attention in India because of his sharply critical record on Modi and the BJP.

During his 2025 mayoral campaign, Mamdani called Modi a “war criminal” and accused him of orchestrating the mass killing of Muslims during the 2002 Gujarat violence. The Washington Post reported at the time that Mamdani said he would not appear on a platform with Modi if the Indian Prime Minister visited New York.

Mamdani has also faced criticism for comments about the fate of Gujarati Muslims after the 2002 violence. His remarks drew strong backlash in India, with critics accusing him of making inaccurate claims about the Gujarat riots. The 2002 violence left more than 1,000 people dead, the majority of them Muslims; Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister, has denied wrongdoing, and an investigation overseen by India's Supreme Court did not establish grounds for prosecuting him.

His criticism of Modi has continued beyond the Gujarat issue. At a Diwali event in New York in 2025, Mamdani said he had been critical of Modi because he believed the Prime Minister was advancing a vision of India that had room only for “certain kinds of Indians.”

Against that background, his latest comments are notable for another reason. While Mamdani clearly said he does not support the RSS rally, he did not endorse demands that City Hall intervene to cancel it. Instead, he pointed to the question of whether the city has jurisdiction over a private event.

The RSS event, titled the “Universal Oneness Celebration,” is scheduled for August 29 at Madison Square Garden and is expected to bring together members of the Hindu American community. Organisers say the programme is intended to promote shared heritage and interfaith unity.

Opposition to the event has also come from civil rights and interfaith groups. A coalition gathered outside New York City Hall on Tuesday to denounce Bhagwat's planned appearance, with former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander saying there was “no room” for Bhagwat and what he described as RSS “hatred” in the city.

For Mamdani, however, the issue appears to have been framed around two separate questions: whether he supports the RSS event — he says he does not — and whether the mayor has the power to stop a privately organised gathering — a question he says he is unsure about.

The distinction is likely to keep the controversy alive as Bhagwat's New York appearance approaches.