PANAJI: Indicating that the ongoing agitation of the rebel Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Goa unit led by Subhash Velingkar will have no negative impact on the winning prospects of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the forthcoming state assembly polls, the state BJP unit on Monday maintained that the medium of instruction (MOI) policy of its state government as regards providing grants to 135 English primary schools will remain unchanged.
It may be recalled that the rebel RSS Goa unit, during its first public convention held on September 11 at Bambolim had directed its 1,800 swayamsevaks or volunteers, present on the occasion, to work for the defeat of the BJP at the 2017 state assembly election. The particular unit, which is not recognised by the Nagpur-based RSS headquarters, supports the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch in its demand to withdraw government grants to the 135 English primary schools.
The Member of Parliament from South Goa Narendra Sawaikar addressing a press conference at the city BJP office said that the public works taken up by the BJP government in the state during past four-and-a-half years has received good response from the people, and therefore, he can confidently speak about BJP’s victory at the 2017 state assembly election. “We have started preparations for the election with the help of the party’s organisation in the state,” he revealed, while maintaining that the state election in-charge Nitin Gadkari will provide able support during the polls.
“The RSS is a revered and respected organisation known for its nationalist work all over the world,” Sawaikar, himself a RSS volunteer of the original RSS said, adding that every organisation has right to express its view. “However, being a RSS volunteer and a BJP worker are two different things,” he observed, maintaining that as far as the MOI issue is concerned, the state government has already put its policy in place, and would go ahead with it.
Replying to a question, Sawaikar said that he would not like to comment on as to whether the national president of the BJP Amit Shah should have met Velingkar, during his visit to Goa, last month. “As far as I know, Shah had a pre-planned schedule, and it would have been difficult to include such a meeting in his itinerary,” he added.
It may be recalled that Velingkar had led a black-flag protest during Shah’s visit to Goa in August 2016.
Meanwhile, Sawaikar maintained that the national executive council of the BJP will meet at Calicut (Kozhikode), in Kerala from September 23 to September 25, which will be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Shah, besides Union ministers, chief ministers of the BJP ruled states, senior party leaders and party leaders from states. “Among other things the meet will also finalise various programmes to be held during the birth centenary year of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya,” he added.
Prime Minister will inaugurate the year-long birth centenary celebrations on September 25.
The state general secretary of BJP Damodar Naik was also present at the briefing.