"There is nothing that Mamdani can do": Singer Mary Millben says NYC Mayor cannot cancel RSS chief's event

Speaking to ANI, Millben said, "His [Mamdani's] comments do not matter. This event is going to go on. Madison Square Garden is a full-fledged corporation. They do not respond to political rants. They respond to capitalism... There is nothing that Mamdani can do about that."

"There are laws in place in America that prevent an elected official from trying to cancel a private event because he does not like it," she added.

Millben further criticised Mamdani over his reported opposition to the event, saying, "He is so ignorant of how the real world works and certainly how America works... There has been some speculation about whether he can cancel it or not. No, he cannot."

"I am not surprised when his comments surfaced about this event, because not only has he been an anti-democracy and anti-religious freedom elected official, he is also anti-Modi. He is against everything that Prime Minister Modi stands for as a leader. He is certainly against everything that the Indian community stands for," Millben said.

Her remarks came after Mamdani opposed the RSS chief's proposed event at Madison Square Garden.

Earlier on Tuesday (local time), Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he did not support the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) upcoming event in the city. However, he admitted that he was uncertain whether the municipal administration had any jurisdiction to cancel a privately organised gathering.

"I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction over cancelling a private event," Mamdani said during a press conference.

Mamdani's comments came as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat landed in New York on Tuesday (local time), the first stop on a three-nation outreach tour covering the US, Canada and the UK. Bhagwat, who was received with a traditional tilak on arrival, is scheduled to address the Indian diaspora at the "Universal Oneness Celebrations" at Madison Square Garden on 29 August --an event tied to the RSS's centenary year and timed around Raksha Bandhan.

Days earlier, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) renewed calls for Washington to avoid high-level engagement with RSS leadership and pushed for possible sanctions --a recommendation India's Ministry of External Affairs has rejected outright.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called USCIRF a "biased" body that has "repeatedly made incorrect and provocative statements about India" and said such assessments should be disregarded.

The AHEAD forum (American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue), which is organising Saturday's event, has billed it as one of the largest Indian diaspora gatherings in the city, featuring cultural performances and faith leaders alongside Bhagwat's address. (ANI)