The Opposition on Sunday accused RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of “doublespeak” over his remarks on diversity and religious coexistence during his ongoing visit to the United States, with Congress, Trinamool Congress, AAP, CPI(M), AIMIM and RJD leaders questioning why he does not convey the same message in India.
The BJP, however, hailed Bhagwat's remarks, saying he had shown the world the true meaning of Hinduism and highlighting his message of tolerance and unity in diversity.
Addressing members of the Indian-American community and interfaith leaders at events in New York, Bhagwat said unity in diversity was in Bharat's DNA and stressed that it must be celebrated, respected and accepted.
He also said that if any Hindu believes there should be no Muslims in Bharat, “he will not remain a Hindu”.
The remarks drew a sharp response from Opposition parties, which asked Bhagwat to convey the same message to BJP leaders and organisations accused by them of spreading hatred between Hindus and Muslims.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal tore into Bhagwat, saying his remarks left him wondering whether it was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi or the RSS chief speaking. Sibal said Bhagwat appeared to “accept diversity abroad” while not tolerating it “at home”.
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said Bhagwat should “stop lying”, alleging that the RSS's “DNA” was marked by “hatred and communalism”.
“My question to Mohan Bhagwat is: Why doesn't he say this in India? His subsidiary organisations like VHP and Bajrang Dal attack Muslims day in and day out. They even attack Christmas celebrations. BJP governments use state machinery to harass Muslims, and their houses are bulldozed,” she said on X.
“Stop lying, Mr Bhagwat. We know what's in the DNA of the RSS -- hatred and communalism!” she added.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose accused Bhagwat of displaying “chilling duplicity” and said his words abroad should be matched by actions in India.
She asked Bhagwat to address the conduct of organisations in the Sangh Parivar, alleging that Bajrang Dal vigilantes had attacked Muslims and Christian ceremonies, while the VHP continued to seek temples beneath mosques.
Ghose also referred to Hindutva groups such as Sri Ram Sena and alleged that the BJP had no Muslim MP in the Lok Sabha while some of its senior leaders continued to make what she described as hateful statements against Muslims.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also questioned Bhagwat's remarks, saying the RSS had historically maintained different positions for domestic and international audiences.
“This is the oldest trick in the RSS playbook: some words are for the world, and some are for its own members,” Owaisi said.
He asked why the RSS had never disavowed the writings of its key thinkers and alleged that the organisation opposed democracy and had consistently advocated dictatorship.
Owaisi said Indian Muslims and Christians had been described as “internal threats” in M S Golwalkar's writings, referring to a chapter in his book Bunch of Thoughts in which Muslims and Christians are described as threats number one and two respectively.
“My request to Bhagwat is that he should just recite choice extracts from the poisonous works of Savarkar, Hedgewar, Golwalkar, etc. Let people decide what they make of the RSS,” Owaisi said.
CPI(M) leader and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also slammed Bhagwat over his remarks in New York.
Vijayan said Bhagwat spoke abroad about “one humanity”, equal dignity and a Hindutva that accepts every human being, but alleged that the situation at home was different.
He referred to an alleged “purification ritual” involving Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani because of his Dalit identity and said atrocities against Dalits and minorities were reported every day.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said Bhagwat should communicate his message on diversity to BJP chief ministers and leaders, including Himanta Biswa Sarma, Yogi Adityanath and Suvendu Adhikari.
He also named BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra, accusing them of making statements that spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims.
“If Mohan Bhagwat has truly had a change of heart, we welcome it,” Bharadwaj said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Bhagwat should make such statements in India rather than in America.
Congress leader and Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the RSS had spent 100 years propagating the idea of a Hindu Rashtra, but Bhagwat's remarks in the US represented a change in language depending on the audience.
“Yet, in America, @DrMohanBhagwat says: ‘If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu. If you call yourself Hindu, you must believe all paths are leading to the same goal’. Quite a transformation in language when the audience changes,” Kharge said on X.
RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha said Bhagwat's message that India belongs to all should be brought back from the US.
“If Madison Square can make the RSS chief discover that India belongs to all, that wisdom should be brought back to India,” Jha said.
“The same lesson should be compulsory for every minister in Modi Ji's Cabinet and every Chief Minister that India belongs to all Indians. Muslims are not guests in their own country. Jai Hind,” he added.
Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja challenged Bhagwat to repeat his remarks on Indian soil, questioning whether the RSS chief would make the same assertion in the country.
“Bhagwat in New York: ‘Diversity is a decoration of our innate unity. It has to be protected’. Wise words abroad, silence at home. Words don’t matter, actions must speak!”, Sibal said in a post on X.
“If he is honest and truthful, he should come back and make the same statement here,” Raja said, adding that making such a statement in the United States was different from making it in India.
“Going to America and making a statement is one thing, but making the same statement on our soil would make a difference. Let him make the same statement here, and we will see,” he said.
The BJP, meanwhile, strongly defended Bhagwat's remarks.
Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said tolerance was fundamental to Hindutva and a defining feature of Hindu civilisation.
“We never comment on what Mohan Bhagwat says. However, the principle being discussed here is absolutely correct. What is the soul of Hindutva? Tolerance,” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
He said India's civilisation had survived despite invasions because it retained its core values, practised tolerance and assimilated different communities into its cultural stream.
“India embraced those rejected by the rest of the world... That is why I always say: do not try to teach Hindus about religious tolerance. Tolerance runs in the blood of Hindus, and it is a fundamental aspect of Hindutva,” he said.
BJP leader Mahesh Jethmalani also praised Bhagwat, saying the RSS chief had done more than respond to his critics in New York by showing the world “what Hinduism actually means”.
Jethmalani, who has criticised New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the context of Bhagwat's US visit, said Bhagwat had challenged what he called the Western caricature of Hindu civilisation.
BJP president Nitin Nabin also welcomed the remarks, saying Bhagwat's message reflected Hinduism's inclusive character and India's civilisational values.
BJP leader Smriti Irani said Bhagwat had shown the world that diversity did not divide India but strengthened its unity.
“Bharat shows the world that diversity does not divide us... it decorates our oneness,” Irani said on X.
BJP leader and former Union minister Shahnawaz Hussain said Bhagwat had delivered an important message from the US that everyone living in India should remain united.
Bhagwat's remarks came during his ongoing US visit, where he addressed more than 6,000 members of the Indian-American community and interfaith leaders at a mega rally at the Infosys Theatre in New York.
He also addressed the ‘One World: One Humanity Faith Leaders' Summit’ in New York, where he spoke about diversity, unity and the need for different communities to coexist.
(With inputs PTI)