Speaking in New York, Bhagwat said Hindutva requires acceptance of diverse religious paths and respect for every individual, while recalling RSS volunteers’ help to Muslim victims of a 1996 plane crash.
BY PC Bureau
NEW YORK: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that the idea of driving Muslims out of India is incompatible with Hindutva, asserting that anyone who believes there should be no Muslims in the country cannot call himself a Hindu.
“That is not Hindutva,” Bhagwat said while addressing events in New York. “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu.”
Bhagwat was responding to questions about Hindu identity, minorities and the RSS’s concept of Hindu Rashtra during his ongoing visit to the United States.
He said anyone who identified as Hindu must accept that different religious paths lead to the same truth and recognise the dignity of every individual.
At the “One World: One Humanity” faith leaders’ conference in New York, the RSS chief said he was neither a religious scholar nor an authority on religion, but came from a tradition that viewed humanity as one despite differences in faith.
“I am not a religious scholar, nor a religious authority,” Bhagwat said, explaining that Indian tradition holds that religions may differ, but humanity is one.
He said truth is singular, while its interpretation varies according to the people describing it. “Truth is one, and humanity is the product of that truth. So, humanity is one. The truth is one, but it is described in many ways according to the describer,” he said.
Bhagwat added that human beings interpret truth through the mental and cultural frameworks shaped within them, saying people are “prisoners of the software that has been fitted here in our heads.”
“There are many religions, and in today’s world, religions are largely defined by rituals. And to fit in a religious discipline, and to treat that path to divinity, this discipline of rituals is also necessary…,” he said.
The RSS chief also recounted the organisation’s response to a 1996 plane crash in Haryana to illustrate what he described as its approach towards minorities. He said most of those killed were Muslims and RSS volunteers who reached the site helped treat the injured, recover bodies, arrange funeral rites and assist relatives in identifying victims.
“We never thought at that time that these are Muslims,” he said.
Bhagwat also said the RSS was seeking to influence policy-making and political processes, arguing that it wanted to intervene before policies were formulated.
“We want to influence policy before the policy is made,” he said, adding that the organisation wanted to contribute to efforts aimed at preventing wars.
VIDEO | USA: Addressing the ‘One World: One Humanity’ faith leaders’ conference in New York, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says, “I am not a religious scholar, nor a religious authority … But I am working in a society which traditionally says that religions might be different, but… pic.twitter.com/1geOvSZgR8
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 29, 2026
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He criticised contemporary politics as having become “a game of self-interest”.
Bhagwat said the RSS’s objective was ultimately service rather than personal benefit. Asked what an individual would gain by joining the organisation, he said those looking for personal benefits should not join, while those wanting to serve society would find a place in the RSS.
His remarks came during his US visit as the RSS marks its centenary year. Bhagwat arrived in the United States on Tuesday and has been addressing events involving the Indian diaspora and faith leaders.
On Saturday, images of Bhagwat were displayed on billboards in New York’s Times Square ahead of a scheduled address to around 5,000 people at Madison Square Garden. The programme, described as a Raksha Bandhan gathering, was titled “One World One Humanity.”
The New York engagements form part of the RSS’s centenary-year outreach in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
