‘Let People of Goa Decide on Casino Issue’, Says AAP Leader Ashish Khetan

Ashish Khetan
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  • PG News June 8, 2016
  • 2 Minutes Read

They say anything and everything can be a poll agenda. With less than a year remaining for the next Goa Assembly, the political parties have started picking up issues to score over one another.

The state’s flourishing casino industry now seems to feature prominently on the parties’ political agenda. The Aam Admi Party (AAP), which has decided to contest all the 40 Assembly seats in Goa for the first time and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are involved in shadow boxing over the casinos operating in the state.

AAP leader Ashish Khetean (cover image) has gone on the offensive by stating, “people of Goa have seen the betrayal by BJP government on the issue of casinos, they have seen the current BJP government making a U-turn on every big poll promise.”

Like a true political leader he drew the Goan people into the scene. “We want the people of Goa to decide on casino issue. Let’s see the feedback on the ground,” he added.

While Goa BJP president Vijay Tendulkar took objections to AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s reported remarks that Goa was famous only ‘for sex, drugs and casinos’, AAP leader Ashish Khetan lambasted the BJP for not fulfilling their promises about casinos in the state in their pre-2012 manifesto.

In a statement to the press, Tendulkar had told the press, “The Delhi chief minister during the AAP rally said that Goa is known for sex, drugs and casinos. Kejriwal should apologize to the people of Goa… He has come to Goa and insulted Goans. He should be ready to face consequences, which will be bad.”

Goa has four offshore and more than a dozen on-shore casinos. BJP had promised to shift the offshore casinos from river Mandovi during its 2012 Goa Assembly campaign, but has failed to act after coming to power.

The shifting of the casinos has been a source of great embarrassment for the BJP and AAP is now going all out to strike the iron when it’s hot. Trying to walk a thin line between placating the masses, the opposition and the casino industry, which brings in much needed revenues; the BJP has been swinging in its statements.

Both parties know this very well that casinos can be a major issue to bet on for the next Assembly polls. There is no denying the fact that shifting the casinos would be a blow to investors and would hurt the state’s economy.

Tendulkar had raised that point too. “If we move offshore casinos arbitrarily or terminate their operations, it will damage (prospective) investors’ confidence in the government,” he had stated.

But BJP still seems to keep their face up on their promise. “You give us an alternative location and we will shift the offshore casinos,” has been the official stance by the party.

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