New York, August 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has backed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying the remarks contain “some truth” while voicing concern over what he described as growing fear and anxiety among religious minorities in India.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Pitroda also acknowledged that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s gathering in New York was a private event and said every organisation had the right to hold such events.
“I know Mayor of New York has spoken about his views, but it’s a private event. And everybody is entitled, everybody’s entitled to have their private event. No issue,” Pitroda said.
Asked whether he agreed with Mamdani’s views on the RSS, Pitroda said they were the Mayor’s personal views but outlined his own vision of a secular and inclusive India.
“I believe in secular India. I believe in India where there is no difference in religion, caste, language, state,” he said, adding that he believed in the principles of equal rights, truth, trust, love over hate and equity.
Recalling his childhood, Pitroda said he grew up in a village where people from different religious and social backgrounds lived together peacefully.
“I was born in 1942 during British Raj, and in a small little tribal village, I had a Muslim household in front of us, Jain on the left-hand side, Sikh on the right-hand side, and in the back was tribal Oria. We all lived in peace, harmony, no conflict at all,” he said.
Pitroda said he believed conditions had changed significantly in recent years, alleging that “conflict has increased substantially” and that “hate” and “fear” had also grown.
He said Muslims and Christians could be asked about how they felt about developments concerning their communities over the past 15 years. He also questioned whether the RSS’s public statements matched its actions.
“Their words mean one thing and their actions mean something else,” Pitroda alleged, adding that he would pay greater attention to the organisation’s actions than its words.
Pitroda said he had never met Bhagwat but knew some RSS members personally and maintained friendships with people holding political and ideological views different from his own.
“I respect them. I respect diversity. But when it becomes violent, I have a problem. When it becomes hateful, I have a problem,” he said, while stressing the importance of maintaining “respect and dignity in discourse”.
Pitroda said the RSS and other organisations should return to what he described as India’s founding principles — that the country belongs equally to all communities, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews and Dalits.
Founded in Nagpur in 1925, the RSS completed 100 years in 2025. The organisation describes itself as a cultural and social organisation focused on national service and character-building.
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