Defence minister says he believe in Sangh, no other outfit

Panaji: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said he only believed in the Sangh headquartered in Nagpur and not any other outfit. Responding to a question during a press conference at the party state headquarters here, he said the Sangh parivar is fully supporting the BJP. I do not believe in the Sangh you are referring to. I believe the Sangh whose headquarters is in Nagpur.' Mr Parrikar refused to comment upon former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Subhash Velingkar, saying Mr Velingkar was with a political party which was having its own agenda.

'I do not want to speak about Velingkar. That is a political party, they are going ahead with their agenda. We are moving with our agenda. The people have to decide," he said. Mr Velingkar was removed from the post of state chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh last year after he became very critical of Mr Parrikar and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His allegation was the BJP had backtracked on its promise of stopping grants to government-aided primary schools having medium of instruction English.

After his sacking, nearly 2000 full-time volunteers of the RSS in Goa announced their mass resignations from the Sangh and decided to support Mr Velingkar. Mr Velingkar has mentored a newly political party, the Goa Suraksha Manch, which is contesting elections in the state in alliance with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Shiv Sena (SS). Assembly elections in the state are to be held on February 4. (UNI)