On January 9, when he formalised the alliance between his Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), Shiv Sena and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Subhash Velingkar surprised many people by stating that he will not be contesting elections and had no interest in any position of power.
The man who mentored top BJP leaders in Goa, like Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, has now taken a vow to defeat them and the party he helped build in the coastal state.
The sense of betrayal and the ‘righteous indignation’ is evident on Velingkar’s face when he talks about the controversial issue of medium of instruction in Goa’s primary schools. And about how the Parrikar-led BJP betrayed Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) , an organisation which was fighting for the cause of Marathi and Konkani languages.
“We are firmly opposed to government grants being given to English medium schools. Konkani and Marathi are the languages of the state, and, as such, grants should only be given to schools that teach in these languages,” he told THE WEEK.
He said the BJP had promised in its manifesto that it will stop grants to English medium schools. When the BJP government failed to deliver on its promise, Velingkar revived the agitation through BBSM and gave an ultimatum to the government. This resulted in his ouster from RSS.
A teacher who has won numerous awards, and a much respected figure in Goa, Velingkar worked for the RSS for 55 years.
When he was relieved, a larger number of RSS activists in Goa rose in his support.
Velingker formed GSM with a sole purpose—to oust BJP from power in Goa. Soon, he took up travelling across the state in order to assess the support for his cause at the grass-roots. One of the first to join hands with Velingkar was Shiv Sena, which had been waiting to make an impact in Goa politics for long. When MGP withdrew its support to BJP government in the first week of January, it became clear that Velingkar would soon stitch together an anti-BJP alliance of Hindu parties.
Velingkar is now hoping to make Sudin Dhavalikar of MGP, the chief minister of Goa. “We are certain that we will win a minimum of 17 seats,” he told THE WEEK.
