RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said Rohingya Muslims are a "threat to national security"
Highlights
- RSS chief said Rohingya driven out of Myanmar due to their violent acts
- He said West Bengal, Kerala lending helping hand to anti-national forces
- Mr Bhagwat also slammed violence in the name of cow vigilantism
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said that any decision on Rohingya crisis should be taken "keeping in mind threat to national security", stressing that Rohingyas are being driven out of Myanmar mainly due to their continuous violent and criminal separatist activities and linkages with the terrorist groups.
"We have been facing the problem of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and now Rohingyas have infiltrated into our country. Any decision regarding Rohingyas should be taken by keeping in mind the threat to national security," Mr Bhagwat said, referring to the people who have fled from violence-hit Rakhine state in Myanmar. He was speaking at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's traditional annual Dussehra rally in Nagpur, where BJP veteran LK Advani and Union minister Nitin Gadkari were also present.
The central government maintains that Rohingya living in India are not refugees but illegal immigrants from Myanmar, and that objections to deport them are baseless. In August, the Home Ministry sent a notice to all states asking them to identify and start the process of deporting Rohingya people.
The RSS Chief also hit out at the governments of West Bengal and Kerala, who he said are "lending a helping hand to the anti-national forces for petty political interests".The RSS chief also slammed violence in the name of cow vigilantism, saying "it is reprehensible that some people have been killed allegedly by
gaurakshaks".
Mr Bhagwat said the issue of cow protection is beyond religion and "many Muslims have sacrificed their life for protection of the cow just as people of Bajrang Dal have".
On the economic situation, the RSS chief said the interests of small, medium industries and self-employed businesses should be protected as they make the "biggest contribution" to the economy.
Mr Bhagwat also offered condolences to the victims of the stampede in Mumbai yesterday.
"We all empathise with the families of our brethren who have lost their lives and those who have got injured in yesterday's incident at Mumbai," he said.
Speaking on the range if issues, Mr Bhagwat also praised the government's handling of Doklam issue with China.
Chinese and Indian troops were engaged in a prolonged standoff in the Doklam area near the Sikkim sector for 70 days from mid-June after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army, which New Delhi viewed as a serious security concern because of the access it provides to Beijing.
On August 28, the two countries announced "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the Doklam area.