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Saffron revolt: Sacked Goa RSS chief Velingkar forms own Sangh unit
A fracture has surfaced in the RSS’s Goa unit, with former state unit chief Subhash Velingkar announcing his own faction after a tussle with the BJP.
A fracture has surfaced in the RSS’s Goa unit, with former state unit chief Subhash Velingkar announcing his own faction after a tussle with the BJP.
Velingkar, who lost his post over plans to launch a political party, said on Thursday his faction will not report to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur.
Also, he accused defence minister Manohar Parrikar, a former Goa chief minister, of “cheating Hindus” in the state.
“Parrikar promised to shut schools run by the dioceses, but now he is projecting himself as messiah of the minorities (Christians),” he said.
Velingkar appointed his supporters as office-bearers of the new RSS unit, and said his team will contest against the BJP in the 2017 assembly elections. The breakaway RSS unit decided to back the political party that Velingkar’s organisation, the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, will float or support.
The RSS dismissed reports of a rift. “No unit of the RSS can disassociate from the prant on its own. It is the decision of the kendra. The Goa unit is and will remain a vibhag (part) of the Konkan Prant and new office-bearers will be announced shortly,” Sangh leader Manmohan Vaidya said. He denied Velingkar was divested of his duties for his anti-BJP activities.
A former teacher, who has been demanding education in mother tongue, Velingkar said the RSS cadre was upset with Parrikar’s “intent to seek voting rights for minorities who have opted for dual citizenship”.
He alleged Parrikar micromanages the administration of the state and has not allowed current chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar to withdraw grants to schools with English as the medium of instruction.
“In no other BJP-ruled state are English medium schools given grants by the government.”
He also ruled out contesting polls and said he will remain coordinator for the BBSM, which waved black flags at BJP chief Amit Shah recently.
“We supported the BJP, because Parrikar assured us that he will accede to our demand. Now we will either support the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party --- if it breaks ties with the BJP, or field independent candidates. We have learnt this from the Sangh not to compromise on principles,” Velingkar said.
He ruled out reconciliation with the BJP—unless the party comes clean on promises.
