RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, second-in-command in the organisation, on Saturday alleged that Rohingyas were sneaking into India not for shelter but as part of a conspiracy to settle here.
Terming the Rohingya issue “very serious” in a press conference here on the concluding day of the three-day meeting of RSS’s Akhil Bhartiya Karyakari Mandal, the RSS ‘Sarkaryavah’ said, “Why they were ousted from Myanmar needs to be probed. Why will any country unnecessarily take a step based on some grudge? When Myanmar government felt there were some problems, they (Rohingyas) were expelled...” he said.
He also called for a closer look at the places in India where Rohingyas had were living. “They are living Jammu, they are living in Hyderabad… We have a tradition of sheltering people. But if we shelter people without understanding their background, it could be dangerous for the country”, he said.
Expressing concern about Rohingyas acquiring Aadhaar, PAN cards and securing entry into voter lists, he said, “It seems they have not come here for shelter. They have come here under a conspiracy to settle in India...”
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In response to the Supreme Court ban on sale of firecrackers in the capital, Joshi said not all crackers spread pollution and the debate on fireworks should be balanced.
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In response to the Supreme Court ban on sale of firecrackers in the capital, Joshi said not all crackers spread pollution and the debate on fireworks should be balanced.
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He added said no “extreme” decision should be taken about Diwali.
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
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