New York, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s upcoming New York address offers an opportunity to move the debate surrounding the organisation beyond controversy and present its current work directly to American audiences, US singer Mary Millben has said.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, Millben welcomed Bhagwat’s visit and said many Americans outside the Indian-American community had limited awareness of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“You walk down the street in New York or talk to the average American in the United States, and they have no idea what RSS is,” she said.
Bhagwat is scheduled to address the Universal Oneness Celebration in New York on August 29. The event, organised around themes of unity and shared heritage, is expected to draw members of the Indian-American community and representatives from different faith and cultural backgrounds.
Millben said the RSS leadership should use the gathering to explain the organisation’s present-day message and its work in support of the Hindu community.
“I think what’s important for the RSS chief to do and those leaders now is to relay what the message of RSS is today,” she said.
She also suggested that representatives of other faiths be included in the programme, saying an event focused on oneness and unity could provide an opportunity to highlight religious freedom and interfaith engagement.
Millben strongly criticised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his opposition to the event. Mamdani has said he does not support Bhagwat’s appearance and criticised the vision he associates with the RSS, while acknowledging questions over the city’s authority to intervene in a private event.
Millben argued that Mamdani’s criticism was linked more broadly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his political positions than to Bhagwat alone.
“He’s a talented young man. He’s just misguided, and he’s in the wrong hands within his own party,” she said, while expressing hope that he could have a better understanding of India, the US and New York.
Millben said Bhagwat should use the New York gathering to shift attention away from political confrontation and towards the organisation’s message.
“I think that this event has a great opportunity to silence the noise of people like Mamdani and others,” she said.
The RSS, founded in 1925, describes itself as a volunteer-based social and cultural organisation. Bhagwat has served as its Sarsanghchalak since 2009. The organisation remains influential in India’s broader Hindu nationalist movement, while critics have raised concerns over its ideology and treatment of minorities.
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