‘Drugs and Prostitution Not Casinos Are Giving Goa a Bad Name’, Says Goa Deputy CM Francis D’Souza

Francis D’Souza (cover image), Deputy Chief Minister of Goa added fuel to the ongoing political quagmire over casinos, by stating that the state was a popular tourist destination known for liquor, casinos and electronic dance festivals (EDMs).

D’Souza also declared that Goa, which is the of the top ten international tourist destinations in the world was suffering due to drugs and prostitution, which had given it a bad name.

Speaking to the media, while at the National Summit on Smart Cities in Era of Digital India organized by Goa government, D’Souza stated, “Goa is a place for liquor, sun, sand, and dance. It is also known for casinos, pilgrimage tourism, honeymoon destination, hinterland tourism and known as electronic dance music (EDM) destination.”

Refuting the allegations that Goa was known just as a casino destination, the Deputy CM remarked, “Goa is not known just for only one thing. Casino is not just the reason for tourists to visit the State. There are many other added attractions like beaches.”

He then added that the casino industry was helping the state government earn revenue and questioned, “If it (casinos) were bad why we allowed it at the first place?”

The senior BJP leader went on to clarify that it was not casinos, but other issues like drugs and prostitution that had given Goa a bad reputation and said that these issues could not be removed overnight. D’Souza spoke about several problems in the state, including people seeking dual citizenship from the Portuguese embassy and shrugged them off saying, “There are good things and also bad things. We cannot change bad things overnight. It is not possible.”

With the 2017 elections looming, the BJP is facing mounting pressure from the opposition Congress party and local groups for not fulfilling its promise of removing the offshore casinos from the River Mandovi. The state has about a dozen onshore and four offshore casinos, the latter, which have been facing immense ire from locals for allegedly corrupting the youth and local life.