Team Herald
PANJIM: Ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress appears to be following the poll strategy of its political rival BJP. It has resolved to take up the shifting of off shore casino vessels and gambling as the main thrust of its campaign, the issue that brought the saffron party to power in March 2012.
The Congress on Saturday admitted that permitting off shore casinos was a mistake and the party repents for it. “We did commit a mistake by bringing in off shore casinos and we repent for it. But now, we want to change the situation,” Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Luizinho Faleiro told media persons.
The GPCC executive committee met Saturday morning to chalk out strategy for the Assembly elections due in early 2017. With casinos and gambling on the priority list, the party will soon prepare the road map and vision document for the 2017 elections.
“We are very concerned about the bad name the State is getting due to the casino issue. BJP in its election gave false promises of shifting these casinos out of River Mandovi but no efforts have been made in this regard for the past three and half years,” Faleiro said, in the presence of Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane and other executive members.
“No doubt casinos help in promoting tourism and in revenue generation but it is a major social and cultural threat. Youth are getting affected by the casino culture,” Faleiro added.
He said that their road map would focus on issues like casinos, gambling and issues that affect the people. “The municipal elections and zilla panchayat elections are an eye opener for the BJP. People have shown their anger towards the government. The wave is shifting,” he said.
The Congress leader said it is time Congress regains the confidence of the people.
