PANJIM: Wait till you digest this. As of today there is no Rashtryia Swamsevak Sangh in Goa. The entire organisation, its workers, cadre and its leaders have quit the RSS, revolting against the RSS Konkan Prants (Region) to remove its controversial and firebrand Goa Chief Subhash Velingkar. Disbanding all its units (samitis) at the shakha, taluka, district and state levels, the Goa wing of the RSS quit the parent body and formed its own independent organisation, unprecedented in the history of cadre based organisation, which used to have a lot of unseen control over the BJP.
All RSS samitis at the shakha, taluka, district and state have been disbanded. Seniormost leaders like Ratnakar Lele, Raju Sukherker, Ramdas Saraf and Sarvottam Prabhudesai are with Velingkar’s “Goa pranth”.
Addressing a press conference in Panjim, Subhash Velingkar after taking charge of independent Goa RSS said, “last night several RSS workers have resigned from their post and now we have decided to split from Konkan pranth and form separate RSS Goa pranth”. He informed the workers have reinstated him as the Goa Prant Sangh Chalak.
Speaking further he said that all the workers who had resigned last night will be reinstated in the same positions which they were before.
Velingkar was relieved from his charge by RSS on August 31 after Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), of which he is convener, announced intent to form a political party ahead of Goa Legislative Assembly election.
Velingkar questioned why Sangh did not object to his involvement in the political movement during 2012 Goa Assembly election which gave a slogan of “Congress-hatao.” “When they did not object to my role in Congress-hatao, why are they questioning now when I speak against BJP?” he said.
“I have asked them to sack me with retrospective effect from 2011 when I first involved in political movement” Velingkar said.
RSS Konkan Pranth Sanghachalak Satish Modhin in a press statement issued on Wednesday had said that Velingkar has been relieved of the charge as he wanted to get involved in political activity.
He had said that Goa RSS is intact and will play the same role which it used to play in past. “Shakhas will continue, we have all the machinery in place. We are not banking on them (Velignkar unit which has quit), we have detached Goa unit from Konkan prant (region). We will remain as RSS, we will be RSS Goa. We will continue as RSS” he said. It’ll be interesting to see how this happens.
Meanwhile, Mr Velingkar said “We have taken the resolution to support BBSM (Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch) unconditionally”.
He informed that Goa RSS has a strength of 10,000 active workers, whereas 1.50 lakh supporters & sympathisers and three lakh committed voters.
“Even if they (BJP government in Goa) fulfill the promises made on medium of instruction there is no going back, they have betrayed the people of Goa and they are not to be trusted” Velingkar clarified.
Quite clearly and decisively the Parrikar VS Velingkar mahayudh is a ground reality and not a sideshow.
