Mother tongue debate: Goa RSS chief threatens to boycott BJP leaders’ meets

Ahead of 2012 assembly polls, the BJP led a movement with the RSS and BBSM to promote “regional languages” as medium of instruction in primary schools.

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Velingkar also raised the issue of the dual citizenship authority in the state, which was recently announced by MoS Home Kiren Rijiju.

Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar has said that the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) will boycott all government functions attended by BJP leaders to protest against the government’s “failure” to promote “regional languages” as the medium of instruction in the state’s primary schools.

“We had fixed June as the deadline, but CM Laxmikant Parsekar recently announced that he would not stop grants to institutions imparting primary education in non-regional language. From June 18, we will boycott events in which BJP leaders, including Union Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar and Parsekar, participate,” Velingkar said.

Ahead of 2012 assembly polls, the BJP led a movement with the RSS and BBSM to promote “regional languages” as medium of instruction in primary schools. It opposed grants-in-aid for English-medium schools, and promised to scrap them if voted to power.

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Velingkar also raised the issue of the dual citizenship authority in the state, which was recently announced by MoS Home Kiren Rijiju. “The medium of instruction and dual citizenship authority matters are closely linked, intended to detach natives from their roots. While a student is disadvantaged at not being able to study in the regional language, you are making a person anti-national by granting him dual citizenship. He enjoys all the rights but does not owe allegiance as he may belong to either nation,” Velingkar said.

He said the BBSM would be ready with a “political alternative” to the BJP by the 2017 elections if the party fails to keep its promises. “We may not align with another national party. We have already learnt a lesson for believing the assurances of the former CM (Parrikar), who bluffed us on the implementation of medium of instruction,” he said.

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