Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should stop fooling the people of Goa at least on the issue of casinos. We all know that casinos will continue to remain firmly embedded till the River Mandovi dries up. When he was the Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar had branded Casinos as a "social evil" and had called them "dens of vice". While leading that agitation against casinos, Parrikar had vowed to make sure that all casinos were thrown out of Goa if the BJP came to power. But in a dramatic U-turn in March 2012 the BJP went all out to promote, shield and increase the number of casinos in the name of promoting tourism.
Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister while branding the revenue from casinos as "bad" money had declared in the Goa Legislative Assembly that the revenue from casinos would be kept in a separate account and utilized only on homes for the aged and those suffering from Alzheimer's. "We don't want to use that money to buy computers for students. We don't need that money in the budget," he had stated. Addressing the Goa Legislative Assembly on August 7, 2012, Parrikar had also categorically and confidently stated that he did not require the revenue from casinos for Goa's developmental works.
Then on October 10, 2013 he had assured the Goa Legislative Assembly that all the casinos would be removed from the River Mandovi by September 2015, but to no avail. While the BJP and the current coalition partners are making merry with the abundant currency flowing from the casinos, Goa has sadly become the country's gambling hub with the allied vices of prostitution and the narcotics trade also flourishing by the day while the crime rate is on a steep rise.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister while branding the revenue from casinos as "bad" money had declared in the Goa Legislative Assembly that the revenue from casinos would be kept in a separate account and utilized only on homes for the aged and those suffering from Alzheimer's. "We don't want to use that money to buy computers for students. We don't need that money in the budget," he had stated. Addressing the Goa Legislative Assembly on August 7, 2012, Parrikar had also categorically and confidently stated that he did not require the revenue from casinos for Goa's developmental works.
Then on October 10, 2013 he had assured the Goa Legislative Assembly that all the casinos would be removed from the River Mandovi by September 2015, but to no avail. While the BJP and the current coalition partners are making merry with the abundant currency flowing from the casinos, Goa has sadly become the country's gambling hub with the allied vices of prostitution and the narcotics trade also flourishing by the day while the crime rate is on a steep rise.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
