Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), told a Madison Square Garden audience in New York on Saturday that “unity and diversity are in the DNA” of both Bharat (India) and the United States, drawing a parallel between the two countries at an event called the “Universal Oneness Celebration” organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD). He described nations as moral agents with duties, invoking Swami Vivekananda to argue that India’s destiny is to remind the world of “unity in diversity.”
Bhagwat urged that diversity “has to be celebrated, has to be respected, has to be accepted,” while stressing the importance of maintaining a sense of oneness amid differences of language, religion and custom. He acknowledged material differences—“Each of us has to take his meals separately”—but said those facts do not negate an “innate oneness.”
In a philosophical section of his speech, Bhagwat contrasted animals and humans, saying animals act from instinct and do not reflect on birth or death. Humans, he said, can plan and think: “If you think in the right way, you go nearer to God. If you think in the wrong way, you go nearer to the animal kingdom.”
Addressing questions about Hindutva and Muslims, Bhagwat recalled a conversation with Muslim interlocutors and said bluntly: “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu.” He added that all paths lead to the same goal and that every human being has dignity.
Bhagwat also cited RSS volunteers’ response after the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, saying Swayamsevaks helped recover bodies, treat the injured and arrange funeral rites without regard to the victims’ faith. His U.S. tour, which includes multiple events, has drawn criticism from Zohran Mamdani, described in the report as New York’s first Indian-American and Muslim mayor, who called the RSS and its political affiliates an exclusionary force and warned against an exclusionary vision of India.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/unity-and-diversity-in-indias-dna-rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-at-new-york-event-11976351#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-08-30 02:55:00
