TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Congress party has dared Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to shut down all off-shore and on-shore casinos on October 2, given that it is Gandhi Jayanti. The day is marked as ‘dry day’ all across the country and all the liquor shops are mandatorily closed.
Addressing mediapersons, Congress Legislative Party spokesperson Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco said that if the Chief Minister is firm on his intensions to close or shift all the off-shore casinos, then in the first instance he should direct them to shut shop on Gandhi Jayanti. Reginaldo said that he would be making a representation to Chief Minister on Sunday daring him to close all the on-shore and off-shore casinos on October 2.
“Parrikar, during his tenure as Leader of Opposition, led the candlelight march to the casinos jetty. But after assuming power has supported proliferation of casinos and has rendered to them all possible support which has earned Goa the name of a casino paradise,” the Congress MLA alleged.
Reginaldo said that Parrikar has clearly been exposed for having hoodwinked the electorate before the 2012 Assembly elections on the issue of casinos. He also said that Chief Minister’s failure to act against casinos, exposes that there was nothing “illegal” in the permissions granted (by Congress) to them.
“Everything about casinos was hyped by Parrikar when he was in the Opposition. There was no scam, no illegality. His unwarranted accusations now stand exposed,” Reginaldo said. He also pointed out the delay on government’s part to notify the rules drafted to regulate casino operations and failure to appoint a Gaming Commission.
Chief Minister is on record that all the off-shore casinos would be shifted out of River Mandovi by December 2015. Currently there are five off-shore casinos operational in the Mandovi.
