# A Hindu Who Thinks Muslims Have No Place in Bharat Ceases to Be Hindu, Says Mohan Bhagwat in New York

> Addressing interfaith gatherings in New York, the RSS chief said Hindutva does not envisage an India without Muslims and framed diversity as something to be protected rather than merely tolerated, remarks that drew a mixed reaction back home.

- Source: India Max
- Canonical URL: https://indiamax.net/article/a-hindu-who-thinks-muslims-have-no-place-in-bharat-ceases-to-be-hindu-says-mohan-bhagwat-in-new-york
- Author: India Max Staff
- Section: Politics
- Published: 2026-08-30T13:05:13.564Z
- Updated: 2026-08-30T13:05:13.564Z
- Tags: Mohan Bhagwat, RSS, New York, Hindutva
- Hindi edition: https://indiamax.net/hi/article/a-hindu-who-thinks-muslims-have-no-place-in-bharat-ceases-to-be-hindu-says-mohan-bhagwat-in-new-york

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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told audiences in New York that a Hindu who believes Muslims have no place in Bharat forfeits the right to call himself Hindu, a striking formulation delivered across two linked appearances built around the theme of interfaith unity. Speaking at the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden and at the One World, One Humanity gathering of the World Council of Religious Leaders, Bhagwat argued that Hindutva, properly understood, does not envisage an India without Muslims.

He put the point plainly, saying that if any Hindu thinks there should be no Muslims in Bharat, that person will not remain Hindu, a line that pushed back directly against any reading of Hindu nationalism as exclusionary of India's Muslim population. Bhagwat framed differences among human beings as real but situated within a deeper unity, telling the gathering that religions might differ while humanity itself remains one.

Diversity, in Bhagwat's telling, was not something to be merely accepted but actively protected. He described it as a decoration for unity, using the phrase to argue that plurality strengthens rather than threatens a shared national and human identity, a theme he tied back to the civilisational idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the notion that the world itself is one family.

The remarks were part of a broader address in which Bhagwat presented unity in diversity as central to what he called Bharat's destiny, suggesting the country has a role to play in demonstrating that idea to the wider world. He also urged listeners to see dignity as belonging equally to every human being, regardless of the path or tradition they follow.

Back in India, the comments drew a mixed response, with Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge accusing the RSS chief of softening his language for audiences abroad compared with statements made domestically, even as the visit itself was met with organised opposition from some quarters in New York ahead of Bhagwat's Madison Square Garden appearance.

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