A giant billboard featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat was displayed at New York’s Times Square on Friday, ahead of his scheduled address at Madison Square Garden later in the day.
A video shared by news agency PTI showed Bhagwat’s image on one of the digital screens at the landmark Manhattan intersection, ahead of the ‘Universal Oneness Celebrations’ scheduled for August 29.
VIDEO | New York: Poster featuring RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat displayed on billboard in Times Square.
(Source: RSS)
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/SOpm9k238b
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 29, 2026
The RSS chief reached New York on Tuesday as part of a three-country outreach tour that also includes
Canada and the United Kingdom. His overseas visit comes as the RSS marks its centenary year.
Bhagwat To Address Madison Square Garden Event
The RSS chief is scheduled to speak at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden during the ‘Universal Oneness Celebrations’, organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD).
The event is scheduled between 2 pm and 5.30 pm local time, or 11.30 pm to 3 am IST, and will also feature cultural, musical and artistic performances.
Organisers have described the programme as a celebration of unity across communities and countries, drawing on the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or “the world is one family”.
More than 200 Hindu American organisations are supporting the programme, according to the organisers.
RSS Chief Visits Historic ISKCON Temple
Before the Madison Square Garden programme, Bhagwat visited the ISKCON temple at 26 Second Avenue in New York on Friday. He offered a garland to ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada and also took part in a food distribution initiative for homeless people.
Gauranga Das, a governing body commissioner of ISKCON, highlighted the historical significance of the location, where Swami Prabhupada established the organisation in 1966.
Bhagwat’s New York Event Draws Protests
The Madison Square Garden event has also triggered opposition from several groups in New York.
Hindus for Human Rights and allied organisations have announced a protest outside the venue on Saturday. The group has said that 61 interfaith and secular organisations have signed an open letter opposing Bhagwat’s programme.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also voiced opposition to the event, describing the RSS as a movement based on an “exclusionary vision”.
At the same time, Mamdani acknowledged that New York authorities have no legal power to prevent a privately organised programme from taking place.
US Religious Freedom Panel Enters Row
The controversy has also drawn intervention from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
USCIRF chair Asif Mahmood had called on the US government to consider targeted sanctions against RSS members and sought the revocation of Bhagwat’s visa. He later said he was willing to meet the RSS chief for a discussion.
India has rejected the commission’s criticism. The Ministry of External Affairs accused USCIRF of bias and said the body had repeatedly made “incorrect and provocative statements” concerning India.
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