Chances of BJP winning assembly polls slim: Goa RSS chief

Panaji, Aug 29: Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar on Monday said that the BJP may not win the next state assembly elections since it had "betrayed" the electorate's trust by going back on its promise to back the use of regional languages as a medium of instruction in the state's primary schools.

Addressing a press conference here, Velingkar, who is the convenor of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, also said that the Manch, along with the RSS unit in Goa, were in the process of floating a new regional party to defeat the BJP in the state polls, which are likely to be held in March 2017.

"This government should not be too sure that they are going to be back in power after the elections, because they have betrayed the trust of the people in the issue of regional languages," he said.

Velingkar and the BBSM are protesting against, what they claim are, anti-regional languages policies of the BJP-led coalition government, especially its failure to cut government grants to schools operated by a society run by the influential Roman Catholic Church, where English is the medium of instruction.

"The BBSM will float a new political party to contest the forthcoming elections," Velingkar said, adding that the RSS cadre would be backing the new political outfit, whose agenda would be to ensure that education in primary schools, which avail financial grants from the state government will be conducted in regional languages of Konkani and Marathi.

He also did not rule out a tie-up with the regional Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, currently an alliance partner in the state government, if they quit the ruling coalition by September 30.

IANS