A day after being booted out by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from the post of Goa unit chief, Subhash Velingkar asserts that the Bharatiya Janata Party will pay dearly for his ouster.
Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com reports.
Subhash Velingkar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh strongman in Goa, has held Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari responsible for his sacking as the chief of the Goa unit of the right-wing outfit.
In a sort of first-of-its-kind-revolt in the 91-year-old RSS, 400 office bearers resigned from their posts demanding that Velingkar be immediately reinstated for them to return to the Sangh family.
Speaking with Rediff.com over the telephone, Velingkar said he will not call his removal as 'sacking' but instead "I have been relieved from the RSS."
"Nitin Gadkari has played backdoor politics and effected my ouster from the RSS," Velingkar said, without commenting on why he thought so or that he had any proof of the same.
Velingkar's Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch has been agitating against the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Goa -- earlier led by Manohar Parrikar (Defence Minister) and now by Laxmikant Parsekar -- over the issue of government grants to English medium schools and for allowing Konkani and Marathi as the medium of instruction for primary sections.
Velingkar wanted to know why the RSS did not relieve him in 2011-12 agitation over the same issue.
"I should have been relieved then. But they did not because the BBSM agitation was helping the BJP's bid to wrest power from the Congress."
Reacting to RSS Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya's statement that RSS workers are not allowed to indulge in active politics, Velingkar said, "If that is the case then why are so many Union ministers still active RSS workers?"
He expressed his unhappiness at the way he was bundled out of the RSS.
"Before taking such a step the RSS should have discussed the issue on the ground with its office bearers in Goa. But this was not done," Velingkar said, adding, "RSS Konkan prant Sanghachalak Satish Modh told me that I was relieved as the Goa RSS chief."
Talking about the formation of a political party for the espousal of BBSM's cause, Velingkar said, "I was sacked only on hearsay. Did I ever say that I was going to form a political party and fight elections?"
But now Velingkar's BBSM is all set to launch a political party, either independently or in alliance with the Maharashtra Gomantak Party.
"We share common views about grant of government funds to English schools and establishing Marathi and Konkani as languages of instruction. We have asked them to snap ties with the BJP. If they do not we will fight the elections on our own steam," he said.
Elaborating, he added, "We have already listed candidates in 35 constituencies (Goa assembly has 40 seats) and at the last moment we will shortlist them."
"I will never quit the RSS," Velingkar said.
"We will form an independent unit of the RSS in Goa -- the process for which has already started. But we will continue to fight against the BJP for our demands," he claimed.
"Parrikar has cheated the voters of Goa. To oust the Congress government the BJP promised the voters that they will stop giving grants to English schools and make Marathi and Konkani as languages of instruction in school. But after coming to power he forgot about the promise."
Reacting to waving of black flags at BJP president Amit Shah's cavalcade in Goa, Velinkar shot back, "I am a citizen of India even as I am a member of the RSS. As a citizen of a democratic country it is my right to agitate in a peaceful way. The flag was waved not to show our opposition to Shah but to bring to his notice the dirty politics played by Parrikar."
Velingkar asserted that the BJP will pay dearly for his ouster.
"The BJP will not come to power again if it fails to fulfill its election promise."
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