'We Don't Need Lessons': BJP Mumbai President Ameet Satam Hits Back At NYC Mayor Over RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's Madison Square Garden Event Remark

Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam criticised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he opposed a planned RSS event featuring Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden. Satam accused Mamdani of having a 'distorted' understanding of pluralism and defended RSS' work. Mamdani said he did not support the rally but was unsure whether the city could cancel a private event.

'We Don't Need Lessons': BJP Mumbai President Ameet Satam Hits Back At NYC Mayor Over RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's Madison Square Garden Event Remark |

Mumbai: BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam hit back at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the latter said he did not support a planned event featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden, accusing the mayor of having a 'distorted' understanding of pluralism.

Responding to Mamdani's remarks, Satam said India did not need lessons on an 'exclusionary vision' from someone he described as 'extreme left, radical, separatist' and alleged had sympathy for Umar Khalid.

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Satam Schools NYC Mayor On Nation-Building, Human Service

Satam said institutions such as the RSS were engaged in man-making, nation-building and human service, particularly during crises and disasters, irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. He further accused Mamdani of having a biased understanding of pluralism, claiming that the mayor's approach was tilted towards one line of thinking and group.

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The remarks came after Mamdani said on Tuesday that he opposed the planned RSS event at Madison Square Garden but was unsure whether New York City had the jurisdiction to cancel what he described as a private event.

VIDEO | On RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's event at Madison Square Garden, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says, "… 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… pic.twitter.com/2UbDYj7WHu

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 25, 2026

Bhagwat is scheduled to address a gathering of around 5,000 members of the Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden on August 29 as part of the RSS's centenary-year global outreach programme. "I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event," Mamdani said at a news conference.

The New York mayor also criticised what he described as the rise of a movement based on an 'exclusionary vision' and said he opposed such an approach as both an Indian-American and the mayor of a city that believes in the belonging of people regardless of their colour, creed, religion, faith or place of origin.

Groups Protest Against Bhagwat Event

Mamdani's comments came as several interfaith and civil rights organisations held a press conference outside New York City Hall opposing Bhagwat's appearance at Madison Square Garden. The groups included Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Centre of New York, among others. They urged the venue to cancel the planned event.

Bhagwat arrived in the United States earlier on Tuesday as part of the RSS's centenary-year international outreach. During his visit to New York, he is scheduled to participate in the Universal Oneness Celebration and address the gathering at Madison Square Garden.

The event is being organised by AHEAD Forum, which said the programme would carry the message that 'the world is one family' and promote mutual respect, harmony and oneness. Bhagwat's overseas tour includes the US, Canada and the UK as part of the RSS's centenary-year global outreach programme.

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