RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Rohingyas: Keep in mind national security before taking any decision

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday 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.

Bhagwat was speaking at the RSS headquarter in Nagpur on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. "Why are Rohingya here, why were they forced to flee their own country," asked Bhagwat.

"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".