Washington, September 8 (Daily Kiran) : A prominent U.S. scholar has raised alarms about efforts by political leaders and advocacy groups in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. to isolate the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), warning that such actions could undermine American interests and weaken the push for stronger U.S.-India relations. Bill Drexel, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, articulated these concerns in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal. His remarks followed an event on August 29, where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed around 5,000 attendees at Madison Square Garden in New York, which was framed as a celebration of “universal unity.”
In response to calls for canceling the booking, New York Mayor Jahan Mamdani described the RSS’s Hindu nationalist ideology as “divisive” and expressed alarm over its rise, while acknowledging that the city had no jurisdiction over the private event.
The article notes that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has demanded the revocation of Bhagwat’s visa. Ahead of his upcoming event in Toronto, approximately 270 organizations urged the Canadian government to block him and consider designating the RSS as a terrorist organization. In London, groups have also requested Mayor Sadiq Khan to prevent Bhagwat from holding events at city-controlled venues during his visit.
Drexel contended that efforts to isolate the RSS are unlikely to weaken it, given its size, reach, and influence in India. He compared the campaign against the RSS to those aimed at Israel, suggesting that it ultimately harms U.S. interests more than it impacts the targeted organization.
The RSS reportedly conducts around 83,000 local meetings across India, featuring physical exercises, songs, games, and education about Hindu culture. Of its estimated 5 million participants, nearly all are unpaid volunteers. Drexel characterized the RSS as the leader of a broad Hindu nationalist movement, having helped establish around 2,500 affiliated organizations, including religious groups, a labor union, and a vast network of private schools.
He argued that Western nations’ discontent will not impede such a large and powerful organization. Closing doors to India’s most influential civil society group would likely empower the very factions critics oppose, who often agree that there is no room for dialogue.
Drexel emphasized that the RSS remains a vast, complex, and rapidly evolving entity, involved in charitable and community service activities. He asserted that even without endorsing its ideology, it is crucial for the U.S. to engage with and understand the RSS, especially in light of India’s economic progress and its strategic significance in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East regions.
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