Joins hands with RSS rebels

The Shiv Sena has worked out an electoral alliance with the Goa Suraksha Manch(GSM), a newly-formed party by RSS rebels, for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Shiv Sena chief Udhav Thackeray, who arrived here on Saturday for a two-day visit, held talks with a GSM delegation led by Mr. Subhash Velingkar. According to a spokesman, an alliance for the elections has been forged on the basis of common understanding over the issue of medium of instruction at primary level and other issues pertaining to Goa’s interest.

The details about seat sharing, the spokesman added, will be worked out by the local Shiv Sena unit with the GSM. The Manch, a regional outfit recently floated by the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, a movement opposing government grants to primary schools in English and advocating the cause of regional languages only as medium of instruction at primary level, has decided to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa for betraying the cause after coming to power in 2012.

Assembly elections in Goa will be held in early 2017.

Earlier, addressing Shiv Sena workers here, Mr. Thackeray backed the recent surgical strikes and gave entire credit for that to Indian Army and urged the BJP and the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to not take unfair credit for the same.