VASCO
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), urging Goans to unite to “throw the BJP out from its roots” and protect the state’s secular identity.
Patkar said that the political struggle in Goa had transcended the boundaries of party politics and evolved into a larger ideological battle between secularism and divisiveness.
“All Goans have to unite if we truly want to fight this corrupt BJP government,” Patkar said. “This is not a fight for political power or about who forms the next government ” this is a battle of ideology. On one side, we have a secular ideology that gave India its freedom by fighting the British, and on the other, an ideology that has always tried to divide the country and pit people against each other.”
Patkar accused the RSS of aligning with British colonial interests during India’s freedom struggle and said that the organisation was now spreading false narratives to distort history. “The RSS stood with the British during the independence movement, and even today, they are trying to manipulate facts,” he said. “They are running a fake propaganda campaign in the name of celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram, misleading people with false claims and twisting our national history.”
He expressed dismay at recent remarks by the Goa BJP leadership, claiming that Congress had opposed Vande Mataram. “I feel ashamed when I hear the Goa BJP state president saying that Congress opposed Vande Mataram,” Patkar said. “These leaders don’t even know the real history of Goa and India. It was Congress and its secular leadership that fought for freedom, not the RSS. The BJP is poisoning the minds of Goans with fake narratives, and it’s our duty to expose these lies.”
Patkar said the RSS and BJP had been systematically attempting to divide Goans along religious and community lines, a trend he said must be resisted through collective action. “The BJP is trying to divide us ” Hindus, Christians, and Muslims ” just to hold on to power. But Goans have always stood for harmony, unity, and secular values. We cannot allow their divisive politics to destroy our identity,” he said.
Calling upon Goans to rise in unity and resist the ideological influence of the RSS, Patkar likened the current political struggle to Goa’s historic liberation movement. “The time has come to protect Goa and Goans once again,” he declared. “We need to bring in a good government that represents honesty, inclusiveness, and integrity. Just like our forefathers united to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule, Goans must now unite to liberate the state from the grip of BJP and RSS politics.”
Patkar added that Congress would continue to expose what he described as the BJP’s corruption, manipulation, and erosion of democratic institutions in Goa. “Goans have seen how the BJP has destroyed institutions, weakened governance, and ignored the voices of ordinary people,” he said. “This revolution must begin at the grassroots ” in every village, every panchayat, and every household. Only then can we throw the BJP out from its roots and restore true democracy in Goa.”
The GPCC president concluded by calling the Congress movement not just a political fight but a “moral and ideological struggle” for the soul of Goa. “This is about choosing between two paths ” one that stands for truth, unity, and progress, and another that thrives on lies, hate, and division. Goans must decide which Goa they want for the next generation,” Patkar said.
