RSS Chief Bhagwat: Unity in Diversity Is India's Global Calling
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told a New York audience that unity in diversity defines India's DNA and global purpose, and defended Hindutva as inclusive.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat told a gathering in New York City that unity and diversity are as intrinsic to India as they are to the United States. Speaking at the 'Universal Oneness Celebration' organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) at Madison Square Garden, Bhagwat said plurality defines the American experience, while India's defining phrase is 'unity in diversity' — and both traits are embedded in the national character of each country.
Bhagwat framed nations as more than geographical entities, suggesting each carries a duty in the universal design. Recalling Swami Vivekananda, he said every nation has a destiny to fulfil, and India's destiny is to realise and repeatedly demonstrate to the world that oneness is enriched, not diminished, by diversity. "Diversity has to be celebrated, has to be respected, has to be accepted," he said, while stressing the underlying feeling of oneness that binds humanity despite material differences.
Drawing on the animal kingdom, Bhagwat argued that animals are bound by instinct and cannot reflect on their existence, whereas humans possess the capacity to think — and that capacity can lead them either toward God or toward the animal kingdom, depending on how it is used.
Earlier in the day, at a separate event in the city, Bhagwat addressed a question about Muslims and Hindutva. He asserted that any Hindu who wishes for the absence of Muslims in India would cease to be Hindu, since Hindutva requires belief that all paths lead to the same goal and that every human being has dignity. He also cited RSS volunteers' relief work after the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, the world's deadliest such accident, saying they served without regard to the victims' religion.
Bhagwat also criticised modern politics as a game of self-interest, while claiming the RSS seeks nothing for itself. His US tour has drawn criticism from New York Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who has called the RSS a communal organisation and said its rise threatens the pluralistic, secular vision of India he was taught.