RSS appoints new Goa chief; Velingkar camp holding 'rebel' convention
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 10 September 2016 20:27 IST
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has drawn the battle lines ahead of Goa Assembly election, by appointing its own Goa Vibhag Chief and the Karyawah, replacing Subhash Velingkar and other cadres.
On the other hand, the Velingkar-led RSS Goa Prant has flexed its muscles to make its state convention a big success tomorrow by organising around 2000 Swayamsevaks.
After Velingkar was stripped off his post of Goa Sanghachalak on 31st August, the Konkan Prant today appointed Nana alias Laxman Behre, a veteran RSS leader, as the new Goa Vibhag chief.
Similarly, Mahesh Dhawalikar has been appointed the new Karyawah, the Goa secretary.
While it took almost 10 days for the RSS leadership to appoint new leaders in Goa, the saffron brigade is yet to appoint committee members from state to village/city – Shakha – level.
“The process would begin now”, said Behre.
The success of their efforts however would all depend on how much crowd the Velingkar-led RSS gathers at tomorrow’s convention.
“The prime reason to hold the convention is to clear the confusion among the cadres and march ahead with the agenda to defeat the ruling BJP in the next Assembly election”, said a local RSS leader, belonging to Velingkar camp.
Behre however refused to accept that tomorrow’s is a convention of the Swayamsevaks.
“It would be a mobilisation of the BBSM activists and not the RSS cadres”, he said.
Goa’s RSS has revolted against its own political wing – the BJP – as its government has continued the Congress policy to give salary grants to Church-run English medium primary schools.
The RSS cadres have vowed to actively participate in the election campaign, through the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, to defeat all the BJP candidates throughout the state.
Behre however refuses to accept the fact that RSS has split on the issue.
According to him, only those who support the BBSM stand would go for the convention.
“We are not at all divided. The difference of opinion is only on the issue of BBSM stand. Otherwise we are all one”, he claimed.
