RSS rebel group convention will have no impact: Goa BJP

PANAJI: A day ahead of crucial convention of RSS' rebel faction in Goa, the ruling BJP here said it will not bear "any effect" on the happenings within the Sangh in the state.

"There is nothing called as a faction in RSS. Swayamsevakas are never directly involved in political activity," BJP Goa Chief Vinay Tendulkar told PTI.

The political party planned to be floated by Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) (which is backed by RSS rebels) will have "no impact" as it would be yet another party like Goa Forward or other regional outfits, he said.

Tendulkar said RSS volunteers have always remained with the BJP. "RSS and BJP workers are always together and they have worked together in past and will do in future too," he said.

A Sangh worker will never get involved in anti-BJP activity, he said.

The rift between rebel RSS leaders and local BJP seems to be widening as the former announced to hold a convention at Bambolim to decide its future course of action.

Velingkar was "relieved" as Goa RSS chief on August 31 after BBSM hinted at its intent to float a political party to counter BJP in the 2017 Goa Assembly polls.

His supporters had detached themselves from the Konkan prant of RSS, and had formed 'Goa prant', which the RSS senior leadership had refused to recognise.

Velingkar has locked horns with the BJP government headed by Laxmikant Parsekar over the Medium Of Instruction in schools issue, with members of his outfit even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah during a recent visit to the state.

Velingkar had recently said the "Sangh unit" in the coastal state will function "independently", at least till the Assembly polls.

However, RSS had been quick to debunk him, saying none of its units can dissociate from the outfit and new office-bearers for Goa will be announced soon.

Velingkar, who launched the "RSS Goa Prant", had said that they will chalk out programmes in the meet to strengthen the stir to press for regional launguages like Konkani and Marathi to be made the MOI in schools and stopping of the state support to English medium institutions.

The meet would also reach out to women to join the mother tongue campaign under the banner of BBSM.