New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support an August 29 event at Madison Square Garden featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat. Bhagwat is scheduled to address Indian-origin American citizens at the private gathering, which is expected to draw about 5,000 people. Mamdani said he was unsure whether the city administration has authority to cancel the event because it is privately organized.

Speaking at a Tuesday news conference, Mamdani described himself as New York City’s first Indian-American mayor and said members of his mother’s family still live in India. He said he grew up with an idea of India as a pluralistic society and secular republic, where equal rights and participation for all people were important. He called the rise of a movement based on an exclusionary outlook deeply troubling and said he strongly opposed that view.

Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Center of New York are among groups opposing Bhagwat’s appearance and calling for cancellation. AHEAD Forum is organizing the event, titled “Universal Oneness Celebration,” saying its message is that the whole world is one family and urging unity beyond artificial divisions. Bhagwat arrived in the United States on Tuesday as part of a global campaign marking the RSS centenary and is also due to visit Canada and the United Kingdom.