Goa Casino Licenses Irreversible, States Ex-Goa CM Manohar Parrikar

Manohar Parrikar
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  • PG News September 23, 2016
  • 1 Minute Read

Despite the brouhaha and criticism about his government’s stand on casinos, Manohar Parrikar (cover image), former Goa Chief Minister and current Defense Minister has stated that the licenses issued to casinos in the state are irreversible.

Parrikar was addressing a party meeting on Saturday, September 17, when he made the statement and said that the six offshore casinos were now ‘fait accompli’ of the Goa government. Parrikar spoke in the presence of Laxmikant Parsekar, current Chief Minister of Goa.

The Defense Minister claimed that situations changed with time, alluding to his party’s promise of eradicating casinos during their election campaign in 2012. He squarely put the blame for bringing in casinos at Congress and said, “We had opposed casinos in the year 2007, but Congress gave six licences and made casinos fait accompli of the government that we formed in the year 2012.

Continuing the party’s theme of focusing on investment from the business industry, Parrikar said that “When someone invests in the business and if we stop the business then investment don’t come.”

The BJP government has been facing immense flak from the opposition parties, locals and social organizations for reneging on their promise of removing casino culture. Undeterred, by the criticism, Parrikar claimed that ‘things changed with time’ and gave an example by saying, “In 1997, we were opposing Tata Estate (vehicle planned to be purchased for ministers). But now we don’t oppose even Innova…the situations do change.

Since it has come to power, the BJP administration has not only renewed licenses, but also extended the deadline for the casinos to be shifted out of the River Mandovi, which has been the demand of the locals. Simultaneously, the government has also hiked casino fees drastically and even passed a law banning locals and all under the age of 21 from frequenting the casinos, but this doesn’t seem to have impressed the opposition.

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