RSS revolt in Goa: 300 Sanghis quit, vow to defeat BJP

Upset with the removal of Subhash Velingkar as Goa RSS chief, over 300 Sangh workers have annouced that they will quit the organisation and vowed to "defeat" the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly polls next year if he is not reinstated.

The RSS on Wednesday removed Velingkar who had crossed swords with BJP government over the issue of medium of instruction (MOI) in schools with members of his outfit BBSM even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah recently.

The Sangh said he was trying to engage into "political activity" which is contrary to its tradition.

"We want that either Velingkar should be reinstated or we (over 300 volunteers) all should be relieved along with him. Since the Sangh has not reinstated him (Velingkar) during the entire day, we have decided to tender resignations," Sangh member Pravin Nesvankar told media persons late Wednesday night in Panaji.

A large number of RSS workers from the state last night held an 'emergency' meeting for over three hours at Bambolim near here in the backdrop of Velingkar's removal.

Velingkar, the convener of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) which is fighting for withdrawal of grants to English medium schools and for the cause of promoting regional languages as MOI in the coastal state, has been at loggerheads with the saffron party as well as Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

"RSS workers will now work for a new political front that will contest the Goa assembly polls," said Nesvankar in the presence of members like Ratnakar Lele and Krishnaraj Sukerkar.

"We will defeat the BJP in the upcoming elections," Nesvankar added.

Sangh's South District head Ramdas Saraf said the volunteers will not work for RSS until the decision to relieve Velingkar is withdrawn.

Representative Photograph: Reuters