On August 29, 2026, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed 5,000 people at Madison Square Garden. The RSS is the ideological parent of India's ruling party—a paramilitary organization whose founder admired Nazi Germany. This rally was not culture—it was a showcase for Hindutva, a supremacist ideology that threatens pluralism worldwide.
Hindutva is not Hinduism. It is a political project that weaponizes faith to exclude. In India, it has fueled violence against Muslims, the colonization of Kashmir and Adivasi lands, caste oppression, anti-Blackness, Sinophobia, patriarchy, and attacks on South Indian communities. Caste discrimination follows the diaspora to U.S. workplaces and universities—which is why Seattle banned it in 2023.
Hindutva has allied with the U.S. far right. Hindu supremacist groups have aligned fully with the MAGA movement. At the same time, Hindutva shares DNA with Zionism—both are ethnic supremacist projects forged by British colonialism. This is not a fringe view; it is documented by scholars and journalists.
The RSS is actively undermining American pluralism. Its U.S. affiliates spread hate against Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Dalits, while lobbying for "Hinduphobia" to be recognized as a hate crime—a cynical inversion that protects the powerful. The rally at Madison Square Garden was a victory lap for this network.
To those who say this is about Hindu pride: Pride does not require supremacism. To those who say we should not interfere: Hindutva is already organizing on U.S. soil, influencing our politics and targeting our communities.
Indian resistance to Hindutva is real and growing. We stand with them.
Congress must act: Hold hearings on Hindutva's U.S. operations, reject its lobbying agenda, and affirm that no supremacist ideology—whether white, Hindu, or Zionist—belongs in our democracy.
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