‘I have been relieved from the organisation’ PANAJI: Former Goa Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Subhash Velingkar, who had earlier formed a breakaway RSS faction, said on Sunday that he is now ready to enter active electoral politics. Velingkar said that he will be affiliated to the political party Goa Suraksha Manch GSM ), which was propped up by Velingkar himself two years ago to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa at the 2017 assembly elections.It is believed by many that Velingkar is expected to contest on the GSM ticket in the upcoming Mandrem assembly bypolls, where he is likely to face probable BJP candidate Dayanand Sopte , who recently resigned from the Congress to join the BJP. Velingkar has not denied this possibility.“I will do as is decided by the GSM,” he said. Having served as a teacher in Mandrem for a long time, Velingkar enjoys considerable popularity in the region, sources said.Soon after Sopte left the Congress to join BJP this year, GSM had urged Velingkar to enter active politics. Accordingly, on Sunday, a meeting of around 200 members of the organisation Bharat Mata Ki Jay, of which Velingkar was a part, was held in Porvorim. Here, all the 200-odd members unanimously agreed that Velingkar can be relieved from the organisation to join GSM.“I have been relieved from the organisation,” said Velingkar. “Now I am free to join GSM.”Velingkar served as Goa RSS chief for several decades and has never contested an election.After leaving the RSS in 2016, he founded the political party GSM, angered by the decision by the BJP-led Goa government to continue grants to primary schools that had shifted medium of instruction (MOI) from Konkani to English.Velingkar, on Sunday, said that even after entering politics, he will continue to work for his belief that state grants should only go to primary schools that have a regional language as MOI.Velingkar has been more than vocal in his criticism of CM Manohar Parrikar over his government’s stance on the MOI issue, which was the main cause for Velingkar’s exit from the RSS. Velingkar, who is considered Parrikar’s mentor, was also critical of the CM not keeping his word on several other issues.BJP’s strength came down from 21 in the 40-member house to 13 in the last assembly polls. Velingkar had strongly campaigned against the BJP in the last assembly elections. During the 2017 election campaign, he had said that there was no difference between the Congress and the BJP.

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