RSS removes Subhash Velingkar as Goa chief

Panaji, August 31

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Wednesday removed its Goa chief, Subhash Velingkar, for “working against the Bharatiya Janata Party state government”.

“Subhash Velingkar has been removed from his post with immediate effect for faulting a political outfit and working against Goa government,” RSS publicity head Manmohan Vaidya said.

Velingkar, who heads a regional language front, has been critical of the state government’s medium of instruction policy in primary schools, which he claims promotes English language over regional languages like Konkani and Marathi.

Velingkar in the recent past had said that the state BJP governments under Manohar Parrikar and Parsekar had cheated the people on the issue of medium of instruction.

He had also warned that the BJP may lose the 2017 assembly elections because of this reason.

Velingkar was also accused of showing black flags to BJP President Amit Shah during the latter’s visit to the state on August 20.

Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar expressed regret over the unceremonious removal of Velingkar.

Parsekar initially refused to comment on the sacking of Velingkar, but when pressed to comment as a swayamsevak himself, Parsekar said: “As a swayamsevak, I would say it should not have happened.” — IANS