Team Herald
PORVORIM: Former RSS Chief in Goa Subhash Velingkar has finally jumped into politics curtailing his 50-year-old non political innings through Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM).
Velingkar’s entry in politics is timed when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is seriously ailing and State will witness Lok Sabha elections in a couple of months. The former RSS chief was requested by Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) to take up politics so that issues like mother tongue in elementary education, opposition to casinos, breaking the drug mafia nexus, saving Mhadei river, formalin in fish and other issues plaguing the State are addressed.
The decision to allow Velingkar join active politics was unanimously taken during the meeting of apolitical outfit Bharat Mata Ki Jai (BMKJ) at Porvorim on Sunday. Around 175 cadres took part in the meeting.
“Since I was BMKJ chief and it is non political organisation, I could not get into the politics all this while without the permission from them (BMKJ). Today, the unanimous decision was taken to relieve me from the post and allow me to join GSM. I will, however, remain a member of BMKJ,” Velingkar told a press conference after a four-hour long meeting on Sunday afternoon.
“I have officially joined the politics now. The time is right for me to join politics,” he announced.
Velingkar, a former RSS Goa chief for five decades, was sacked by Sangh in the year 2016 after his constant criticism on Parrikar for giving grants to English medium schools.
Velingkar said that GSM will decide on what role he would be playing in the organisation. “I will take whatever responsibility given to me by GSM. But I will not contest from Panjim assembly constituency,” he said. He said that unofficially, GSM has decided to align with Shiv Sena for upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “GSM will now get into politics full-fledged,” he said.
When asked whether he considers himself as the leader to the stature of Parrikar, Velingkar said he does not like to compare himself with anyone. “I have come into politics with positive thinking. First of all we have to educate people against getting bribed during elections due to which wrong people get elected,” he said.
Explaining the long process which culminated into his decision to join politics, Velingkar said the people under the banner ‘Save Democracy, Save Goa’ were meeting different people including the office bearers of BBSM.
“Since I was member of BBSM, there was a request to ask me to join politics. BBSM discussed the issue threadbare and it was decided that I should join politics,” he said adding, “GSM is a political arm of BBSM which we needed to strengthen if we want to take the things to a logical end. BBSM then requested Bharat Mata Ki Jay to relieve me as an office bearer.”
Velingkar said that the parties like MGP had betrayed the people on the issues like Medium of Instruction and eradicating casinos from Goa. He said that GSM will expose the double standards of all the political parties.
“We will not support anything that is not in the interest of the people. We will address every issue troubling the people of Goa,” he said.
