Congress leader Nana Patole on Wednesday questioned RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to the United States after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he did not support an upcoming Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) event at Madison Square Garden.
Patole also raised questions about the RSS’s registration, funding and activities. He alleged that the organisation was not registered in Maharashtra or elsewhere in India and claimed that its financial operations required greater scrutiny.
Speaking on the issue, Patole said, “I have repeatedly stated that the organisation which is not registered in Maharashtra nor anywhere else in the country, that organisation is operating nationwide under the guise of NGOs. They hold bank accounts in 36 countries across the globe. There is no audit regarding the source of their funds or how they are utilised; indeed, they have already been designated as terrorist organizations in New York and across the United States. Yet, why did Mohan Bhagwat visit that place despite the opposition? This has become a matter of scrutiny…”
Patole questions RSS activities and Bhagwat’s visit
Patole’s remarks came after Mamdani publicly opposed an RSS event scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Congress leader linked the mayor’s comments to broader questions about the RSS and its operations. He alleged that the organisation’s registration and funding should be examined, while also questioning why Bhagwat proceeded with his US visit despite the opposition to the event.
Patole’s claim that the RSS has been designated a terrorist organisation in the US was not supported by any evidence in the material provided for the report.
Pawan Khera also reacts to controversy
Congress MP Pawan Khera also commented on the controversy surrounding Bhagwat’s visit and the criticism of the RSS event.
“Let them deal with their own opposition. Mohan Bhagwat doesn’t matter either. Let Mohan Bhagwat answer who ordered the use of pellet guns; we have no problem with that–we will accept the answer,” Khera said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey defended Bhagwat’s visit and said opposition to the RSS chief was unwarranted.
Shiv Sena (UBT) defends Bhagwat’s US visit
Dubey said the RSS had a large following and argued that Bhagwat should be treated as an Indian leader visiting another country, regardless of political differences within India.
“The RSS is an organisation that holds the faith of millions of people…we, too, have maintained excellent relations with that organisation. If Mohan Bhagwat visits the US or any foreign land and faces opposition there, we feel such opposition is unwarranted. After all, when people from your countries visit ours, we never oppose them…whether it is Mamdani or anyone else, they must understand that opposing an individual from India is tantamount to challenging the nation itself…” he said.
Dubey added, “We maintain that while we may have countless political differences among ourselves, when it comes to the nation and a leader of ours visits another country, any attempt to insult them is an insult to us all. We have never engaged in such behaviour…we would expect Mamdani to extend the same courtesy and welcome guests as well.”
Mamdani opposes RSS event but questions city authority
Mamdani’s comments came during a press conference in New York, where he said he did not support the RSS event but acknowledged that he was unsure whether the city government had the authority to cancel a privately organised gathering.
“I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction over cancelling a private event,” Mamdani said.
The mayor also referred to his Indian-American background and spoke about the understanding of India that he acquired from his family.
NYC mayor cites pluralistic vision of India
“I also stand here as the first Indian American mayor in our city’s history. My mother’s family is all still in India. The vision of India that I was taught by my family, and the 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,” Mamdani said.
He added, “It has been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision of any country, frankly. And so it is one that I find myself in deep opposition to — not only as an Indian American, but also as the mayor of a city that believes deeply in the belonging of each and every person, no matter their colour, their creed, their religion, their faith, wherever they’re from.”
Mamdani’s remarks have added a political dimension to the upcoming RSS event, with the mayor making clear his opposition while acknowledging the limits of his authority over a private gathering.
Bhagwat begins three-nation outreach tour
Bhagwat landed in New York on Tuesday local time, marking the first stop of a three-nation outreach tour covering the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
He was received with a traditional tilak after arriving in New York.
Bhagwat is scheduled to address members of the Indian diaspora at the “Universal Oneness Celebrations” at Madison Square Garden on August 29.
The event is linked to the RSS’s centenary year and is being held around the period of Raksha Bandhan.
(With inputs from ANI)
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