TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and his cabinet and party have become completely delusional, by saying that business interests of casinos would get affected if they were moved out of the Mandovi waters. The extent of BJP’s shocking U turn on its stand of offshore casinos, is driven home through a news clip of a Parrikar led torch light agitation in front of the jetty, asking the then Congress government to drive out the existing casinos as well as the new ones. The Herald has accessed a news video clip where Parrikar addressing a group of BJP protestors in front of Casino Caravela, as opposition leader in the closing phase of the Digambar Kamat government. “Yeh toh sirf jhaki hain, sarkar ko aur casino waloh ko batana chahate hain ki Goa ke log casino nahin allow karne walle hain… Casinos aur age chalane ki koshish ki… hum age bhi jaa sakte hain,” Parrikar boomed. (This is just a glimpse, we wish to tell the govt and casino owners, that the people of Goa will not allow casinos. If they try and run casinos in the future, we will go further…(to block them).
He then told the reporter of the TV channel In Goa, “Jis Prakar blockade… agar doosra koi bhi casino chalu ho gaya, blockade karenge, casino ko bhaga dein, baki jo naye ayenge, use bhi bhaga dein.” (Like the way we are doing a blockade now…if another casino starts, we will do a blockade again, drive away casinos, if new ones come, drive them away too). He finally said, “Our demand is stop them” and rounded off by issuing a clear warning…that if casinos were not removed…“hum andar ghus jayenge” (We will storm the casinos). He interestingly spoke only in Hindi during this protest.
This was Parrikar the opposition leader. Chief Minister Parrikar though toned down his belligerence by several notches, often dodging direct questions when reminded of his earlier clear stand on casinos, maintaining that casinos would be out of the Mandovi waters by 2015. (Herald is in the middle of procuring Parrikar’s exact words in the assembly to bring them to you).
Herald now demands that Chief Minister Parsekar officially make a statement that the BJP now rejects its own party stand on casinos and the promises made by his predecessor and explain to the people of Goa the reason behind this shocking U turn.
Opposition leader Manohar
Parrikar on casinos in 2011
We wish to tell the Govt and casino owners, that the people of Goa will not allow casinos. If they try and run casinos in the future, we will go further
If another casino starts, we will do a blockade again, drive away casinos, if new ones come, drive them away too).
We will storm the casinos.
