Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS), Goa Prant, the rebel group
formed by sacked former RSS Goa chief Subash Velingkar will hold a one-day
convention on September 11 to decide its future strategy on the Medium of
Instruction issue.
Interacting with reporters Velingkar said, said the
convention will chalk out programmes to strengthen the stir on MOI.
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“The meet will press for regional languages like Konkani and
Marathi to be made the MOI in schools and stopping of the state support to
English medium institutions,” he said adding “the meet would also reach out to
women to join the mother tongue campaign under the banner of Bharatiya Bhasha
Suraksha Manch (BBSM).”
As the convener of BBSM, Velingkar had taken on the Goa’s
BJP government over its support for English-medium schools and was ousted from
his post as Goaunit chief of RSS on August 31.
“Besides various other agenda, we will also deliberate
on involving more women in this cause towards the country,” Velingkar
said.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is in Goa to
celebrate Ganesh festival, was expected to break the stalemate between the BBSM
and BJP, but nothing has happened so far.
“BBSM has not received any communication from Parrikar.
There is no question of supporting the BJP as they have not fulfilled our main
demand of withdrawing grants to English medium schools,” Velingkar said.
He rubbished reports that attempts were being made to
restore ties between BBSM and the BJP.
“There are no (such) attempts (being made),” he
said.
Velingkar was “relieved” as Goa RSS chief on
August 31 after BBSM hinted at its intent to float a political party to counter
BJP in the 2017 Goa Assembly polls.
His supporters had detached themselves from the Konkan prant
of RSS, and had formed ‘Goaprant’, which the RSS senior leadership had refused
to recognise.
Velingkar has locked horns with the BJP government headed by
Laxmikant Parsekar over the MOI issue, with members of his outfit even showing
black flags to party chief Amit Shah during a recent visit to the state.
He had recently said the “Sangh unit” in the
coastal state will function “independently”, at least till the
Assembly polls.
However, RSS had been quick to debunk him, saying none of
its units can dissociate from the outfit and new office-bearers for Goa will be
announced soon.
