Patna, April 26: The 10 French nationals, who were deported from the state , had nothing to do with Maoists, claimed P.V. Rajagopal who heads Ekta Parishad.

The French tourists were deported from the state on Monday to New Delhi for allegedly violating visa norms as they had participated in meetings organised by Ekta Parishad, which is accused of having links with Maoists. Rajagopal, who is on his Jan Satyagraha Yatra, said the French nationals belong to Fédération Régions et Peuples Solidaires (a political federation of various regional parties in France) and they had visited the state to understand the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi, Jaiprakash Narayan and Vinoba Bhave, and they had nothing to do with rebels.