Mamdani’s RSS criticism has truth: Pitroda

New York: Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has backed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying his remarks contain “some truth” and reflect concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in India.

Pitroda, however, acknowledged that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s gathering in New York was a private event and said every organisation was entitled to hold one.

“I know Mayor of New York has spoken about his views, but it’s a private event. And everybody is entitled, everybody’s entitled to have their private event. No issue,” Pitroda told IANS in an exclusive interview.

Asked specifically whether he agreed with Mamdani’s views about the RSS, Pitroda said the Mayor had expressed a personal position. He then outlined his own vision of India as a secular and inclusive country.

“I think these are his personal views. I do agree with the fact that I believe in secular India. I believe in India where there is no difference in religion, caste, language, state,” he said.

“I believe in India that our founding fathers believed in. I believe in equal right. I believe in truth. I believe in trust. I believe in love and not hate. And I believe in equity.”

Pitroda said the India in which he grew up belonged to every community. He recalled his childhood in a village where families from different religious and social backgrounds lived together peacefully.

“You know, I was born in 1942 during British Raj, and in a small little tribal village, I had a Muslim household in front of us, Jain on the left-hand side, Sikh on the right-hand side, and in the back was tribal Oria. We all lived in peace, harmony, no conflict at all,” he said.

Pitroda contrasted those memories with his assessment of present conditions in India.

“Today, conflict has increased substantially. Hate has increased, fear has increased,” he said. “So I think what Mamdani said has some truth in it that India we grew up with was the India for everybody.”

He alleged that Muslims and Christians had experienced growing anxiety and questioned the effect of RSS influence on educational and other public institutions.

“You ask average Muslim or Christian how they feel in the last 15 years, what has happened to their churches, their communities, and they will tell you,” Pitroda said.

He also questioned whether the public statements of the RSS matched its conduct.

“Their words mean one thing and their actions mean something else,” he alleged. “So I think it’d be good for people to know about RSS, but I won’t pay too much attention to their words. I’ll pay more attention to their actions. To me, actions speak louder.”

Pitroda said he had never met Bhagwat, although he knew some RSS members personally and remained friends with people whose political and ideological views differed from his own.

“I respect them. I respect diversity. But when it becomes violent, I have a problem. When it becomes hateful, I have a problem,” he said. “If you keep the respect and dignity in discourse, I’m okay.”

Looking ahead, Pitroda said the RSS and other Indian organisations should return to what he described as the country’s founding principles.

“I would say any organisation in India, RSS, non – RSS, should really go back to core idea of India that our founding fathers had,” he said. “What was the core idea of India? That India belongs to everybody. India belongs to Hindu, Muslim, Christians, Jews, Dalits.”

The RSS was founded in Nagpur in 1925 and marked its centenary in 2025. It describes itself as a cultural and social organisation committed to national service and character-building.

IANS