Hindu wanting no Muslims in Bharat may not be Hindu: Mohan Bhagwat in New York

Bhagwat's remarks reiterate the position he outlined during an address in New Delhi in 2018. He had then said that a Hindu Rashtra could not exist without Muslims and that Hindutva embraced universal brotherhood.RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in New YorkRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said a Hindu Rashtra did not exclude Muslims and that anyone who believed they had no place in India did not understand Hindutva.Speaking at the One World, One Humanity event in New York, Bhagwat recalled that members of the Muslim community had asked him in 2018 whether the RSS’s idea of a Hindu Rashtra meant Muslims would be driven out of India.His response, he said, was: “No, that is not Hindutva.”“If any Hindu thinks there should be no Muslims in Bharat, he may not be a Hindu. If you want to call yourself a Hindu, you must believe that all paths lead to the same God,” Bhagwat said. ‘TRUTH IS ONE, RELIGIONS MAY BE DIFFERENT’Bhagwat said India’s traditional outlook recognised differences between religions while emphasising the unity of humanity.“I am working in a society that traditionally says religions might be different, but humanity is one. Truth is one, and humanity is a product of that truth,” he said. He said religions were now largely identified by their rituals. While rituals and religious discipline had a role, he argued that the ultimate purpose of religion was to seek truth.“What is the purpose of religion? It leads us to truth. If I point towards a light, you will first see my finger and then the light. But if you keep looking at my finger, you will never see the light,” Bhagwat said.He said people might take different religious paths, but all of them ultimately led to the same divinity.‘DIVERSITY MUST BE PROTECTED’Bhagwat said the RSS considered it its duty to spread the message that people could remain united despite their differences.“Diversity must be protected and respected. We must protect everyone. Unity in diversity is the reality and truth of nature,” he said.He described differences between people as an illusion that would eventually disappear, an idea that echoes the Advaita philosophy of non-duality.“We are one. The differences between us are an illusion and will ultimately disappear,” Bhagwat said, adding that this understanding of oneness needed to guide human behaviour.He linked this idea to both India’s traditional philosophy and its Constitution, but said the constitutional vision of unity was not being fully realised on the ground.“Politics has become a game driven by self-interest. Where there is only ‘me’ and ‘mine’, no solution can be found,” Bhagwat said.He argued that change had to begin within society, with collective well-being placed above personal and political interests.BHAGWAT INVOKES INDIA’S HISTORYBhagwat said India had historically provided shelter to people belonging to different faiths and denominations.“Our society and our country became targets of foreign invasions, and many things were lost. But that tradition still exists. It teaches ordinary people the same thing: one world, one humanity,” he said.Bhagwat acknowledged that communities continued to carry historical baggage but maintained that India’s tradition of coexistence had survived.“In Bharat, people of all denominations live together because Bharat has traditionally given shelter to everybody,” he said.OUTREACH AFTER 2018 SPEECHBhagwat said his 2018 address in New Delhi had drawn responses from different sections of society, following which the RSS began a dialogue with members of the Muslim and Christian communities.He maintained that the organisation did not discriminate on religious grounds while carrying out its service activities.During the 2018 address, Bhagwat had said a Hindu Rashtra could not exist without Muslims and that any ideology seeking to exclude Muslims or Christians could not represent Hindutva.He had also said that older RSS texts describing religious minorities as internal threats were no longer applicable because the organisation’s thinking had evolved.His remarks in New York reiterated that position, presenting Hindutva as an idea that could accommodate religious differences within a shared national and human identity.CONTROVERSY OVER BHAGWAT’S US VISITBhagwat’s unity message came against the backdrop of protests over his visit to the United States as part of the RSS’s centenary-year global outreach programme.Several interfaith and civil rights groups opposed his appearance at the Universal Oneness Celebration and urged Madison Square Garden to cancel the event."Bhagwat’s event, promoted as a celebration of “Universal Oneness,” attempts to spiritually sanitise that history and expand the RSS’s influence in the United States," representatives of Hindus for Human Rights said.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also said he did not support the programme but acknowledged that the city might not have the authority to cancel a private event.The AHEAD Forum, which organised the programme, said it carried the message that “the world is one family” and sought to encourage people to move beyond divisions and embrace mutual respect and harmony.- EndsPublished On: Aug 29, 2026 22:45 IST