Rebel RSS leader Floats New Goan Party, Vows to Defeat BJP in Assembly Polls

Mumbai: Expelled RSS leader Subhash Velingkar launched a new political party on Sunday called Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) with an avowed aim of defeating BJP in the imminent polls to the Goa state Assembly.

"99 per cent of RSS workers in Goa are strongly against the BJP and these workers will not be neutral this election, they will actively campaign against the BJP," Velingkar told News18 after launching his party on Sunday.

The development comes weeks after Velingkar was relieved from his post in the RSS for speaking out against the BJP leadership, particularly former Goa CM and Union defence minister Manohar Parikkar. The Velingkar-led Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) had also shown black flags to BJP chief Amit Shah during the latter's visit to the state last month.

The BBSM, a regional languages front has accused the BJP of reneging on its electoral promise of making Konkani/Marathi the medium of instruction in‎ the state’s schools as also the withdrawal of state grants to English medium primary schools.

Velingkar told News18 it wasn't an exaggeration when he claimed 'the BJP will be trounced ‎in the upcoming elections.

"There is deep anti-incumbency, we tour every taluka, we know the pulse of the people", Velingkar claimed.

Reacting to the development Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who had taken over the states reins from Parrikar said, "It is natural ‎that more the number of smaller parties, it will help the ruling party win the election. I welcome all such new political parties".

Meanwhile Velingkar confirmed to News18 that an electoral understand with‎ the Shiv Sena is almost a certainty. The rebel RSS leader also revealed that he wouldn't have floated a political party had the Mahatarshtrawadi Gomantak Party ( MGP), an ally of the BJP agreed to break away from the alliance.

"We had told them we would back them fully. But they wanted to wait till the notification of elections in December. Even now we have said that ‎if they break with the BJP we can reach an electoral understanding", he said.