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Hyderabad: Mohan Bhagwat’s speech in New York City has triggered a row, with Opposition parties calling him hypocritical, while others questioned why such remarks were made in the US and not in India.

Bhagwat on Saturday, August 29, during the ‘One World, One Humanity’ faith leaders conference, said, “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not be a Hindu.”

Congress leader Priyank Kharge, who has been vocally against the “unregistered” Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said Bhagwat’s statements in the US were “quite a transformation in language when the audience changes.”

“The RSS will seemingly go to any lengths to mobilise funds from the Indian diaspora for its Vichar Parivar that sows communal seeds in the society,” Kharge wrote on X.

He asked everyone to understand Bhagwat’s statements and the role of RSS in diaspora mobilisation. “Behind the language of ‘Universal Oneness’ lies a question that deserves scrutiny: Why does the language of Hindu Rashtra at home become the language of inclusivity and interfaith harmony abroad?” Kharge said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said his statements made in New York should be made in India instead, adding that in Hindu dharm this is called dhonk (hypocrisy).

“Mohan Bhagwat should make such a statement in India rather than in America,” he said.

“Bharat me aaakar dusri baat karoge aur, New York me jab aapke khilaf andolan hota hai toh dusri baat karenge, Hindu dharm me usko dhonk kehte hai (You speak another thing in India, yet speak quite differently when there is a protest against you in New York. In Hinduism, this is called hypocrisy),” Raut said.

Mohan Bhagwat should say these statements to his Chief Ministers who engage in communal politics, said Aam Aadmi Party Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj.

“He should tell this to leaders like Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra. He should tell Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Yogi Adityanath, and Suvendu Adhikari, who often make headlines with statements that spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims,” the AAP leader said.

However, if Mohan Bhagwat has truly had a change of heart, we welcome it, Bhardwaj said.

Bhagwat arrived in the US on Tuesday, August 25, amid protests and a US religious freedom group calling on the US government to revoke his visa.

Several protesters rallied outside Madison Square Garden with slogans like “The RSS has got to go” ahead of Bhagwat’s event, where he was set to address nearly 5,000 people

A protester with a loudspeaker was heard saying, “Mohan Bhagwat is not bringing unity to New York. He represents a century-old Hindu fascist project that has deep roots here in the imperialist core in the US diaspora.”

The New York event was part of the RSS centenary-year global outreach programme, which also includes Canada and the UK.