The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, is facing renewed demands to condemn a Hindu nationalist leader who is due to begin the UK leg of his global tour this week. Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – a right-wing Hindu nationalist and paramilitary volunteer organisation – is scheduled to visit the UK as part of a worldwide tour that also includes stops in Canada and the US.
The RSS, considered the ideological parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has organised these visits to “present a factual and positive perspective amid the misconceptions and propaganda prevalent globally regarding India, Hindu society, and the RSS,” according to the group.
Campaigners call for condemnation and security measures
In a letter to Sir Sadiq, Hindus for Human Rights UK (HfHR UK) and several other campaign groups have asked whether City Hall will condemn the event and boost security around the visit to protect minorities that they claim the RSS and its affiliates have targeted in the past. The letter, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), describes the RSS as “an authoritarian and militarist group which drew explicit inspiration from European fascism.”
The document further states: “Its second Sarsanghchalak (chief), M.S. Golwalkar, openly held up Hitler’s treatment of the Jews as a model for treating minorities worth emulating in India. There is also overwhelming evidence of the RSS and its affiliates perpetrating violence and discrimination against Christians and other marginalised communities including caste-oppressed people and communities.”
Previous calls to sever ties with RSS-affiliated groups
The fresh demands come months after the Mayor rejected calls to sever ties with the UK wing of an organisation found by the UK Government to have organised mass anti-Muslim violence in India. Last year, HfHR UK had also urged the Mayor to remove Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (VHP-UK), also known as the World Council of Hindus UK, from the official committee of organisers for the City Hall-backed Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square in October.
In 2002, a Foreign Office report found that the Indian branch of the organisation organised a pogrom which killed thousands of Muslims in Gujarat that year. The RSS has previously rejected all criticism, describing itself as a “Hindu centric civilisational, cultural movement” whose goal is to “carry the nation to the pinnacle of glory.”
Political reactions and exclusion powers
Former Labour Party Leader and MP for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn, told the LDRS: “Britain should not be hosting the leader of a hate group with a grievous history of far-right violence. This is a deeply authoritarian, exclusionary and discriminatory organisation which has suppressed religious freedom and inspired horrific attacks on minorities. There should be no space for this kind of hatred in our city – and it is truly appalling that this is going ahead.”
The campaign groups have also asked the Mayor to confirm with the Home Office whether Mr Bhagwat's presence meets the criteria for exclusion from the UK. The Home Secretary has the power to ban foreign nationals from the UK if their presence is deemed “conducive to the public good,” but the government declined to comment on the matter.
Prior to Mr Bhagwat's visit to New York last month, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he did not support the rally and found it “incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision.” However, he noted that he lacked the powers to cancel a private event. The RSS has been contacted for comment regarding the UK visit.
