100 Groups Back RSS Chief Visit, Urge Canada to Reject Calls For Blocking It

More than 100 Canadian organisations and civil liberties groups have written to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior federal ministers in support of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's proposed visit to Canada, urging the government to ensure that any decision on his entry is based on evidence and due process rather than political pressure.

The letter, addressed to Carney, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, comes amid calls from NDP MPs Jenny Kwan and Heather McPherson, along with other organisations, for Bhagwat to be prevented from entering Canada and declared inadmissible.

The signatories said Bhagwat's proposed visit was of "considerable interest" to Canada's Hindu community, which the letter says includes more than a million Canadians of Hindu heritage. They described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, as a major Indian organisation known for community service, social initiatives, cultural activities and public discourse.

The groups strongly objected to the campaign seeking to block Bhagwat's entry, arguing that allegations made against him must be supported by credible evidence.

"Serious allegations require credible evidence," the letter stated, while challenging claims that Bhagwat has a history of hate speech, advocated violence against religious minorities, engaged in targeted intimidation or maintained links with criminal or listed terrorist organisations.

"These are exceptionally serious allegations," the organisations said, adding that such claims should not be treated as established fact without "clear, credible and independently verifiable evidence."

The letter asked Canadian authorities to identify the evidence behind the allegations and says that if credible evidence exists, it should be assessed through the appropriate legal and governmental processes.

The signatories also rejected concerns that Bhagwat's presence could lead to social disorder or pose a threat to public safety. They asked what specific incidents demonstrated that Bhagwat or the RSS had caused social disorder in Canada and what concrete information indicated that his visit would create a public safety threat.

"Canada's immigration and public safety decisions must be based on established law, credible evidence and due process, not speculation and political rhetoric," the letter said.

The organisations argued that excluding Bhagwat without substantiated evidence could have wider implications for Canada's Hindu community. Such an action, they said, could create a perception that Canadian Hindus and their institutions were being held to a different standard.

The letter placed the dispute within the broader Canadian principles of multiculturalism, freedom of religion and equality before the law. It said Hindus, like Canadians from other religious and cultural backgrounds, are entitled to dignity, security, freedom of expression, peaceful association and equal treatment.

At the same time, the signatories acknowledged that criticism and peaceful protest are legitimate. "Political disagreement and peaceful protest are legitimate," they said, while maintaining that preventing a visiting leader from entering Canada on the basis of allegations not demonstrated with credible evidence would raise concerns about pluralism and fairness.

The organisations also warned that the campaign against Bhagwat could be perceived by some Canadian Hindus as reflecting "anti-Hindu prejudice or Hinduphobia". They stressed that the views of individual organisations or political representatives should not be portrayed as representing all Canadians or all Canadian Hindus.

The letter said Bhagwat's emphasis has been on social harmony, cultural identity, community service and engagement across communities. It called on political leaders and community organisations to avoid rhetoric that could deepen divisions within Canada's diverse population.

The document listed more than 100 organisations and community groups supporting the appeal, including the Canada India Foundation, Canada India Global Forum, Canadian Arya Samaj, Brampton Hindu Society, Hindu Society of Canada, Hindu Mission of Canada, Hindu Sabha Temple, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, VHP Canada and several temples, cultural associations and community organisations.

The letter concludes with a call for Ottawa to uphold "equality, pluralism, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, peaceful association and due process" while considering Bhagwat's proposed visit.

"Canada needs more dialogue, not division; more evidence, not allegations; more due process, not political pressure," the groups said.

The letter, therefore, framed the controversy not simply as a question of Bhagwat's entry but as a test of how Canada balances public safety concerns with religious freedom, multiculturalism and equal treatment of its communities.