Team Herald
MARGAO: The Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) has warned the ruling BJP that it would suffer a humiliating electoral defeat, if it failed to fulfil its 2012 election promise of withdrawing grants to English medium schools in Goa.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, BBSM member Adv Uday Bhembre warned, “We will ensure that the BJP doesn’t retain power if it fails to support the local languages.”
Having made the demand for withdrawal of grants to English medium schools, “we will intensify our agitation if the government does not meet the same; and if need be, we will organise agitation in every constituency to expose the lies of the BJP,” Adv Bhembre said.
When asked whether the BBSM would field candidates against the BJP in the forthcoming elections, he said, “We won’t contest any elections on this issue. However, if their stand remains persistent and work against the culture and heritage of Goa, then, this time we may be required to expose the lies of the BJP.”
Stating that the BJP and MGP have forgotten the promise made to the BBSM, Bhembre said breaking one’s promise is a graver offence than murder.
“By bypassing the suggestions of the steering committee, the institutions and the peoples who are in favour of local languages and stopping grants to English medium schools, the government took decisions for political benefits,” said Uday Bhembre.
“RSS and BJP should not have differences of opinion. But to our bad luck, the people who went from RSS and joined BJP are now working against the culture of the State and the nation. We will ensure that we will not give such persons any chance ahead,” said Kiran Naik, an RSS leader and BBSM member.
Others present for the press briefing were Suhas Kamat, Dattatray Amonkar, Deep Karapurkar and Mahesh Fondekar.
