US singer and actress Mary Millben has slammed critics, especially New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, for opposing an upcoming event at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG), featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. The African-American singer accused Bhagwat’s opponents of being driven purely by hostility toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A prominent African-American Hollywood actress and singer, Mary Millben is highly popular in India for her singing of the National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and ‘Om Jai Jagdiseh Hare. Many local organisations have criticised the event’s organisers over Bhagwat’s attendance and the RSS’ history.
The 41-year-old singer, who sang India’s national anthem at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington before PM Modi’s address there in 2023, offered “advice” to the New York mayor and “choir of socialists” to “become capitalists, raise money, rent MSG, and host your own rally for all your anti-Modi foolishness. The organisers, American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, said the event is backed by several Hindu American groups and promotes shared heritage and interfaith unity. Mamdani was one of the critics, who said he did not support the upcoming event. “I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event,” Mamdani, who is the first Muslim and Indian American mayor of New York City, said when asked if the event should be cancelled.
