The singer and actress Mary Millben has heavily criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his perceived opposition to an event at Madison Square Garden featuring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief. Millben says political opposition from an elected official cannot automatically prevent a privately organized event from taking place at a privately operated venue.
Millben said that Mamdani’s comments would not determine whether or not the event will take place. Madison Square Garden is a private company and decision-making about events is based on business and US laws rather than political statements, she said.
"His comments do not matter. This event is going to go on," Millben said, as quoted in the controversy. Madison Square Garden is a “full-fledged corporation,” and its decisions are driven by its commercial and legal responsibilities, she said.
The singer also spoke to speculation about whether the New York City mayor has the power to cancel the event. Millben says that an elected official cannot simply terminate a private gathering because of disagreement with its political or religious position.
“There’s nothing Mamdani can do about that,” she said, pointing out legal protections in the United States for private events and freedom of expression.
The controversy was triggered by the political and cultural significance of the RSS, an influential Hindu nationalist movement in India, and RSS leaders in New York. Any appearance by the RSS chief in the United States is likely to generate a lot of controversy from supporters and critics--and the Indian-American world in particular.
#WATCH | On NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani opposing the RSS chief's event, Singer and Actress Mary Millben said, "...his 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… pic.twitter.com/mkXlUFQdFY
— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2026
Millben, who often talks about India-US relations and has also supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also criticized Mamdani’s political stance. “He is not in favor of democracy, freedom of religion and the interests of Indian people,” she said. She also claimed that the mayor is “anti-Modi” and that he was totally antithetical to the values she holds on to as an Indian-American.
Those comments have only intensified politically heated debate. There is more than one thing at stake between the two sides; it’s more than free speech, religious freedom, political expression, and the role of elected officials in responding to controversial organizations.
The difference between political disagreement and legal authority is what is so important in this case. Mayors and other public officials can publicly criticize an organization or oppose an event. But a government authority’s ability to prevent a privately organized event stems from laws, contractual arrangements, public safety requirements, and constitutional protections.
Madison Square Garden, one of New York’s most famous venues, has hosted political rallies, concerts, sporting events and major public appearances by people from all sides of the political spectrum. Any decision about a proposed event would thus have to be made by the management of the venue and its legal and regulatory status.
Millben’s comments will bring another debate to the surface among Indian-American groups and political observers on the issue. Supporters of the event might take her words as a defense of religious and political expression; critics may continue to question the RSS, its ideology, and the wisdom of having the RSS leadership in a major New York venue.
But the controversy also underscores the increasing visibility of the Indian-American presence in American political discourse. Issues of India, Modi, Hindu organizations, and religious freedom have become central themes in American public life and are not just a matter of public debate in cities with large South Asian populations.
The big question now is whether the event will happen and what role, if any, city authorities are supposed to play. Millben’s position is unequivocal: political criticism from the mayor does not by itself give him the power to cancel a private event.
Such a debate will be closely watched by political groups, civil liberties advocates and members of the Indian-American community in New York and beyond.
