Goa BJP MLA like asuras, Parrikar cheated us: Velingkar

Panaji: Describing BJP MLAs in Goa as 'asuras' (demons) and holding Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar responsible for the degeneration of the saffron party in the coastal state, expelled Goa RSS leader Subhash Velingkar on Thursday warned the BJP once again, that it would lose the upcoming state legislative assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference to announce the formation of a new Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Goa unit, Velingkar said that he as well as the RSS members and conscientious BJP workers had resolved to vote against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly polls.

"No place in the world deserves such MLAs. People need MLAs who speak from their conscience. Whatever we may be on the outside, inside we have a god in all of us, a conscience. If the conscience is not clear, ill befalls and one becomes an avatar of asura," said Velingkar, whose unceremonious sacking as Goa division sangh chalak on Wednesday, has triggered a unprecedented rebellion against both the RSS top brass and the state BJP by the local Sangh cadre.

"We believe we have done no wrong, while the BJP represents falsehood. Manohar Parrikar is one of the biggest liars. He has dragged BJP down with him. The BJP has become a party of sheep. The aspirations of people who have elected them, mean nothing to them. They need their ministership, chief ministership, deputy chief ministership. Their mouths are tied shut on issues," he also said.

Velingkar, as well as the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Samiti which he is convenor of, has been campaigning against the BJP for the last few months, accusing its state leadership of betraying its promise of fully backing regional languages as a medium of instruction in state's primary schools.

Velingkar, as well as the Manch, have been demanding the scrapping of government grants to English medium schools, most of which are run by an education society backed by the influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa.

Velingkar also blamed Parrikar for betraying Hindus and Christians of Goa, for taking a cabinet decision in 2012, which allowed the continuance of the financial grants.

"Parrikar has cheated both Hindus and Christians. On the language issue, he did a U-turn. Regional languages are spoken by everyone, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Parrikar is responsible for all this. Parrikar is responsible for this degeneration. The agitation is because of his volte face decision contrary to his promise," Velingkar said.

Velingkar also said that in his last 55 years as a Sangh member, he had never seen the organisation as "weak and helpless". The senior Sangh leader said that the RSS had not faulted him in 2011, when he had led a 'Congress hatao' campaign in the run up to the 2012 state assembly elections.

"The BJP betrayed the people of Goa and the way we taught the Congress a lesson (in 2012), we have resolved to teach the BJP a lesson now. We will not withdraw from this," Velingkar said.

The RSS leader said that this was the first such experiment in the country, where the local Sangh unit was taking on a BJP government on matters of principle.

"A government which does not care for the people, respect it, ignores its demands and tramples people, should be taught a lesson. It may be the Congress or the BJP or any other party. We have to weigh every political parties on the same scale," Velingkar said, adding that he along with state RSS workers had pledged not to vote for the BJP during the upcoming state assembly elections.

"We all belonged once upon a time to that committed vote bank (of the BJP). Now we will not vote for the BJP even by mistake. That is our conviction," Velingkar said, exhorting the rest of the RSS cadre and conscientious BJP workers to not vote for the saffron party. 

"Goa BJP will lose lock, stock and barrel," Velingkar said.