The party woos Subhash Velingkar who has formed ‘RSS Goa Prant’ for challenging BJP in the Goa assembly polls.
After Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut met former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Goa unit chief Subhash Velingkar in Panaji speculations are rife in political circles that Sena might enter into a pre-poll alliance with the latter for contesting Goa assembly polls in 2017. Both leaders had a conversation for two hours. Sena has assigned the responsibility of overseeing the campaigning activities in Goa to Raut and he is currently busy reorganising the party in the state. The party has already announced that it won’t join hands with its old ally BJP for contesting the Goa assembly election. It is already trying to woo rebel leaders like Subash Velingkar who had announced about his decision to float a new party. Velingkar was ousted from RSS for making anti-BJP statements.
Sanjay Raut already has started preparations for the Goa assembly election and said, “We will recruit more members and will get more prominent people to join our party. Shiv Sena may contest at least 20 to 22 seats from Goa. We won’t enter into an alliance with BJP for contesting the election and our preparations are in full swing. BJP has failed to deliver the promises made by it to voters during the last election.”
“We will be targeting BJP over issues like rising unemployment, presence of drug mafia in Goa, Russian and Nigerian nationals staying illegally in the state. Even though large number of Marathi people reside in Goa but their children are unable to choose Marathi language as a medium of instruction at primary level. We are working towards addressing this issue,” he added.
Velingkar has been garnering the support of swayamsevaks to defeat the BJP in the Goa assembly polls. He alleged the BJP for destroying the local culture and appeasing minorities. He also attacked the BJP for giving preference to English as a medium of instruction in schools and sidelining Marathi and Konkani language. The former RSS leader has also formed a parallel unit of the RSS named ‘RSS Goa Prant’ which has nominated him as the sanghachalak.
“We have to become like Narasimhas. The opponents of our agitation are not mere opponents of our culture and mother tongue, they are its devourers. Their defeat is imminent,” Velingkar said.
“We will extend full support for Mr Velingkar as he is fighting for an ideological cause. Sena doesn’t interfere if somebody is fighting for politics but if someone is fighting for ideology we will definitely assist them. What is happening between Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is an internal matter between them. But Mr Velingkar has support of Shiv Sena on the issue of mother tongue. Whatever strength we have in Goa, we will extend that to Mr Velingkar,” added Raut.
