Panaji: A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah said the next Goa government would function under Manohar Parrikar's leadership, party's state chief Vinay Tendulkar on Tuesday claimed that people want the Defence Minister to be brought back to Goa.
He also said that the RSS is with BJP for the polls. Goa will go to polls on February 4 to elect the 40-member House.
"Parrikar has good mass contact, that is why there is demand coming up from people that he should be brought back to Goa. But the decision on it would be taken by elected MLAs after the polls," Tendulkar told PTI in an interview on Tuesday.
However, he refused to divulge on the party's strategy in this regard.
"Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has clarified that the MLAs will decide their leader. The decision will be taken after the election," he said.
On Shah's statement yesterday about Parrikar, Tendulkar said, "Party president has said that even if he is not made CM, he will be controlling the affairs of Goa."
"He (Shah) must have said it depending on the demands and expectations of the people. At present, Parrikar and Union ministers Shripad Naik and Nitin Gadkari are leading the party's campaign in Goa," he said.
After Gadkari had recently fired up speculations about the Chief Ministerial candidate in poll-bound Goa, Shah on Monday said the next government in the state will "function under Parrikar's leadership, irrespective of his posting."
Asked about RSS's support, Tendulkar said, "Sangh is always with swayamsevakas. They (swayamsevakas) never interfere in politics but their blessings are with us. RSS is with us for this election too," he said.
Regarding the newly formed Goa Suraksha Manch led by rebel Sangh leader Subhash Velingkar, he said, "He (Velingkar) had said that they will form the next government but now they are contesting only on four seats. I don't think they will be able to win on even one seat. There will not be damage to us. Cadres were with certain ideology. They are with us."
Tendulkar said BJP would be releasing its Goa manifesto on January 27, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting in the poll-bound state.
"The experience of last five years is being used to draft the manifesto. Few things which are left incomplete would be repeated in this manifesto. We have fulfilled 90 per cent assurances given in the 2012 manifesto," he said.
