Co-convenor of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, Subhash Velingkar, floated a new political party, the Goa Suraksha Manch, on Sunday for the upcoming Assembly election in the state. Velingkar, who was recently sacked as the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief in Goa for protesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government, also announced the state committee, district committees, youth wing and women's cell of his party, reported The Times of India.
Anand Shirodkar has been appointed the president of GSM, which is likely to field 35 candidates. Currently, the BJP has 21 seats in the 40-seat Goa Assembly. Velingkar said they decided to give a political alternative to the people of Goa and hinted at possible alliance. "We have not closed doors to any political party," Velingkar said.
BBSM ideologue Uday Bhembre, however, told The Hindu, that the new party is looking forward to an alliance with the Shiv Sena to contest the upcoming polls. Their main rival will be the BJP who, they alleged, have failed to fulfill their electoral promises.
The rift between BBSM and BJP surfaced about 15 months ago when the former wanted the state government to stop sanctioning financial aid to 132 English-medium primary schools run by the Archdiocese. It reached its peak on August 31 when the RSS sacked Velingkar for his continued protest against the BJP.
However, hours after he was sacked, more than 400 RSS workers resigned from the organisation's unit in Goa. On September 2, Velingkar had reinstated himself as the RSS chief in Goa.
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