The RSS chief’s visit to the United States is denounced as a ‘goodwill tour’ for Hindu nationalism | Protests News
But a number of religious groups, advocacy organizations and scheduled caste organizations say they are not convinced. They fear that Saturday’s rally, held at Madison Square Garden, is more of a high-profile effort to cover up a history of discrimination and violence.
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At stake is the Universal Unity Celebration, organized by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote “greater peace and harmony.”
One of its keynote speakers, however, will be Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the Hindu paramilitary organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His organization has been accused of adopting discriminatory policies and stoking violence against minorities, including India’s Muslim, Christian and Sikh populations.
Protests are expected in front of Madison Square Garden to denounce Bhagwat’s appearance.
“This is a movement that has normalized mob violence against Muslims, attacks on Muslim men in their relationships with Hindu women, and the demolition of Muslim homes,” said Safa Ahmed, a Muslim community organizer in North Carolina who traveled to New York to join the protests.
She told Al Jazeera that she is skeptical about the event organizers’ claims about embracing the world as “one family.”
“They may talk about unity, but that is in stark contrast to the bloody reality faced by minorities in India,” he said.
Overseas outreach
Advocates say Hindu nationalist groups are working to expand their influence in the United States, where about 2.5 million Hindus live.
To do this, they have used a variety of appeals to soften the RSS image, such as celebrations of Hindu culture and campaigns to highlight Anti-Hindu discrimination.
Sravya Tadepalli, deputy executive director of Hindus for Human Rights, sees Saturday’s rally as part of that trend. His group opposes the event.
“This is a kind of goodwill tour to improve the public image of the RSS, which is a fascist paramilitary organization that has engaged in decades of communal violence against religious minorities in South Asia,” Tadepalli told Al Jazeera.
“The organizations behind this have presented it as a broad appeal to Hindu history with an emphasis on inclusivity when, in reality, the RSS advocates exactly the opposite.”
Critics have noted, however, that Hindu nationalists have also sought to cultivate ties with the global far-right, emphasizing a shared belief in the alleged threats it poses. Islam and secular elites.
The RSS is widely considered the ideological father of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has ruled India since 2014 and seeks to remake the country along Hindu nationalist lines.
Speaking before the 2024 National Conservatism Conference in Washington, DC, BJP vice-president Ram Madhav said conservatives in the West should look to India as an example of how to defeat what he called the “radical, Marxist, liberal, left-wing Islamist cabal”.
The Modi model
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who entered politics as a member of the RSS before becoming leader of the BJP, has championed Hindu nationalism throughout his leadership.
Like Bhagwat, he has also taken his message on the road to speak to foreign followers in the United States.
In September 2019, for example, the prime minister addressed a crowd of 50,000 in a “Hello, Modi!” Demonstration in the state of Texas.
The event underlined Modi’s appeal among Indians living abroad and was one of the largest such events in US history. US President Donald Trump, another far-right leader, even joined Modi on stage.
But those appearances were also controversial. Before becoming prime minister in 2014, Modi was banned from entering the United States because of his leadership during a 2002 massacre of Muslim residents in the state of Gujarat.
Modi faced accusations of turning a blind eye to the killings and even offering his support.
However, even as he faces protests, Modi remains hugely popular in India, consistently ranking as one of the world’s most popular leaders. A poll this month by India Today magazine found that he is also the leading choice for prime minister in India, despite falling approval ratings.
Divided diaspora
Still, outreach campaigns to rehabilitate the RSS image abroad have had limited success.
For example, a survey 2024 found that while Modi enjoyed near-majority support among Indian Americans for his performance as prime minister, 70 percent of respondents acknowledged that his rhetoric exemplified a growing threat to minorities in India.
Bhagwat’s planned appearance at Madison Square Garden has also sparked debate over his controversial comments and leadership.
In a statement on Wednesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent initiative within the federal government, called for Bhagwat’s visa to be revoked.
The commission warned that Bhagwat was “complicit in violations of religious freedom,” along with other RSS members and Indian officials.
“Religious freedom conditions in India continue to deteriorate as violence and incitement is frequently used against minority religious communities,” said USCIRF President Asif Mahmood. He urged the United States to implement targeted sanctions.
When asked about Bhagwat’s speech at a press conference this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also spoke out against the RSS messages.
“It’s been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is based on an exclusionary view of any country, frankly. And it’s one that I deeply oppose,” Mamdani said, citing his identity as an Indian American.
He added that he does not “support the demonstration,” but said he doubted the city had jurisdiction to cancel a private event.
Ahmed, the North Carolina community organizer, said she feels the reaction to Saturday’s event reflects a growing coalition in the Indian diaspora, bringing together Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and disadvantaged caste voices.
“There is a vocal minority in the diaspora and a new emerging majority who do not believe in the politics of Modi and the RSS and do not want to see them gain ground here,” Ahmed said.
She predicted Saturday’s event will ultimately backfire. “I am very sure that Bhagwat will receive a resounding rejection that he is not welcome.”
