Parrikar should focus on his health and retire: Velingkar

Former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar Wednesday said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should give priority to his health and retire, instead of continuing to occupy the top post.

He also said the Goa BJP once felt that a "dynamic" leader like Parrikar should become the prime minister of the country.

Velingkar, who was once a strong supporter of Parrikar, had fallen out with him after the BJP-led state government decided to give grants to English medium schools.

In 2016, he formed his own political outfit Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM).

"If I was with him (under current circumstances), I would make him retire. Health comes first," 70-year-old Velingkar told PTI.

Parrikar, 63, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, has been recuperating at his private residence near here. He had undergone treatment at hospitals in Mumbai, Delhi and the USA last year.

"His health is important for Goa. Parrikar is a dynamic leader, he is a good leader. He is good in decision making, but for the lapses," Velingkar said.

"His lapses are there and they are getting more serious after 2012. It was not before that. We (BJP in Goa) wanted him to become the prime minister of the country," he added.

"We used to feel that he should be in the Centre. Goa is a small place for him. We wanted him to go in the Parliament. It is the proper place for him. That was our opinion. But he was not interested...This was in 2006-08," Velingkar said.

He alleged that Parrikar never believed in collective decision. "If he wanted to take rest (now), he would have done that. To continue in the chair is his wish. But he should understand what his priority should be. He requires lot of rest.

"The current drama (of continuing in the chair) is pitiable. Look at the pictures (released by his office). He need not drag on with this," he added.

Velingkar, who was removed from the key post by the RSS in 2016, said he anyway wanted to retire from the organisation at the age of 70 in order to focus on writing.

"I wanted to retire from Sangh at the age of 70 and then go for research and writing. I have a collection of around 1,000 articles in Marathi and Konkani. I wanted to publish them," he said.

Commenting on the RSS and its role in politics, Velingkar said, "RSS should decide what it wants to do."

"The RSS in its original form was never subjugated to politics. It was playing a role of a guide in politics. It had an upper hand. But the situation is no more the same," he added.

"Now in Goa, BJP is running the RSS. Those in the BJP are running the RSS. And this is an unfortunate situation," he said.