“you have to admit that there is an issue with people doing mitzvos because they make their rebbe happy, doing kiruv because the Lubavitcher rebbe said to do it”
I think I’m officially on “your side” in these threads, but I wouldn’t even agree to that. If their kavana when doing a mitzvah (eg. tefillin) was that it was for the Rebbe rather than Hashem, then obviously that would be wrong, but are you really alleging that to be the case?
It seems like he just decided that kiruv would be modern Chabad’s primary avoda, or niche to fill much like bikur cholim is with Satmar. I don’t see why having a certain mitzvah be extremely encouraged in one’s community would make it any less lishma when done by members of that community.