Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed strong disapproval on Sunday regarding a video that purportedly shows the Indian flag being desecrated outside a New York event where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was speaking. Rijiju’s comments highlight the sensitivity surrounding national symbols and the reactions they provoke, especially in foreign contexts.
Earlier reporting noted: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has given a strong warning to protesters and Khalistani supporters who put their feet on the Indian national flag and tore it outside New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, when people had gathered there to hear RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s address. Listen carefully, don’t insult our flag and my country.
Sharing the purported video on X, Rijiju said that one is free to criticise the RSS, BJP or the government, but warned against disrespecting the Indian national flag. Earlier reporting noted: The Union minister in a post on X said that political disagreement is fine but insulting the nation is unacceptable. Earlier reporting noted: “We always said you have the freedom to criticise the RSS, BJP or government, but don’t abuse our nation. It will cost you very dearly,” Rijiju said in the post.
“Listen carefully… Do not insult our flag and my country. It will cost you dearly,” the Union minister added. “Whenever you think of America, one word is often discussed — pluralism. When we say Bharat, another phrase is discussed — unity in diversity. “If you call yourself a Hindu, you must believe that all paths lead to the same destination.
“We always said, you have freedom to criticise RSS, BJP or Govt. but don’t abuse our nation,” he wrote on X. For Bharat, both unity and diversity are in its DNA,” he said. He also said that a Hindu who believes India should have no Muslims isn’t truly a Hindu. Every human being has inherent dignity, there is no fundamental difference between us,” Bhagwat said. The event had sparked controversy amid opposition from some US-based Hindu organisations and following remarks by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who described it as “incredibly troubling” to see the rise of a movement in India based on what he called an “exclusionary vision”.
