Whom will BBSM support to defeat the ruling BJP in the next election?
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 05 April 2016 19:47 IST
File photo of BBSM with Parrikar
Whom will RSS-led Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch support in the next Assembly election, if not the Bharatiya Janata Party?
The question has become pertinent since the BBSM claims to have built a ‘parallel organisation’ in 38 Assembly constituencies, except in Nuvem and Benaulim, with 8500 committed cadres.
In fact they are now getting into another phase of public meetings, beginning from Mandrem on 24th April, for which they today met and invited Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
“Our main target areas are 21 constituencies represented by the ruling BJP”, said Subhash Velingkar, who told the media that he is part of the BBSM not as the RSS leader but a citizen.
Though the BJP went to election in 2012 by forming alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the RSS leader did not utter a word against the alliance partner in a press conference today.
“We have found an alternative to the BJP and we will announce it before election. This is not a right time”, said Adv Uday Bhembre, the BBSM leader and a staunch Konkani protagonist.
According to him, BJP has committed a double crime of giving assurance to Goans to withdraw government grants to the Church-run English primary schools and then backstabbing the electorate by continuing it.
However, he also did not blame the MGP as a partner in the crime.
Velingkar made it clear that they would mainly focus on the BJP constituencies while starting public meetings, by inviting the MLAs to come and make their stand on Medium of Instruction public.
“We will also not leave Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar since he is the architect of this conspiracy against regional languages”, said Arvind Bhatikar, another Konkani leader.
According to him, Parrikar as a chief minister did mapping of schools not to restrain more English medium primary schools coming up but to permit Church-run schools to run in English medium.
He also disclosed that Parrikar had put remarks ‘may be considered’ on the files asking permission for English medium primary schools while permitting only 15 Konkani-Marathi schools out of total 62 applications.
“U turn is a very soft word media uses for him. He is a cheater and a backstabber”, said Bhembre.
Though Velingkar claimed that he was not representing RSS on the BBSM, he said RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat as well as BJP’s central leaders have been informed what harm Parrikar and Goa BJP has made on MoI issue.
“They are convinced that the Goa BJP has taken a decision going against the national education policy”, he says.
The BBSM has also claimed first victory of their ongoing struggle with BJP leaders, including Parrikar, making public speeches that primary education should be in the mother tongue.
“The ruling party has developed cold feet on its plan to move a bill, legalising government grants to the Church-run minority schools in English medium. We challenge them to bring the bill”, said Velingkar.
The issue of BBSM activities was raised by some BJP legislators last month at the party meeting where Parrikar had told them not to bother as ‘they’ have no other choice than the BJP.
But the BBSM now claims that they have ‘found’ an alternative, but prefer to keep it secret.
