CASINO DHARNA BY AAP IN PANJIM WAS A TOTAL FAILURE IT is a pity that our great stalwarts like Oscar Rebelo and Remo Fernandes, could not make it a point to be present while the dharna of AAP was going on. Shame, shame, for them! Remo and Oscar earlier announced that they will support the AAP and that Remo did a grand show for the rally marching on the streets of Margao and Oscar voicing his support whole heartedly for Kejriwal AAP leader and now their conspicuous absence during the dharna in the city gave us a jerk. What could be the reason? Congress and BJP in Goa must be already celebrating as AAP could not manage to get attendance for even 20 persons. We had high hopes for the AAP coming to power in Goa, but in these circumstances I do not think that AAP will make it. Even Kejriwal did the same thing as there are no signs of him coming to Goa for holding demonstrations. Goans had high hopes for the AAP but their signs for emerging in power appears blink, as they have deceived us badly. AAP must do lots of work. I feel that the candidates are not well scrutinized.
Stephen Dias, D.Paula AAP holds anti-casino dharna in city Published on: March 16, 2014 - 01:32 More in: Goa News Story Summary: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Saturday, held an anti-casino dharna in the city, stating that if it comes to power after the Lok ... PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Saturday, held an anti-casino dharna in the city, stating that if it comes to power after the Lok Sabha election, it will close down all on-shore as well as off-shore casinos in the state on priority, since casinos in Goa could very well promote such gambling houses in rest of the country, in the future. AAP further denounced the successive governments for promoting Goa through casino tourism, which has many other incidental woes like drugs, prostitution, money laundering and so on, making the state a 'sin tourism destination'. The party also maintained that it will not accept donations from casino companies. The dharna led by the state AAP leader, Valmiki Naik and participated by two Goa candidates of the party for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election - Dr Dattaram Desai and Swati Kerkar - however had limited presence of party's members as well supporters. Two stalwart members of the party Remo Fernandes and Oscar Rebello were conspicuous by their absence at the dharna. The South Goa candidate of the AAP, Swati Kerkar said that the Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar had assured the people of Goa before the state assembly election about removal of off-shore casinos from Mandovi River, if the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. "However, he went back on his words," she alleged, stating that the Chief Minister is only interested in attracting tourists to Goa by way of casinos, and improving the state revenue, even though the future of youth from Goan families is destroyed due to these gambling houses. AAP also maintained that the losses emanating from casinos far overshadow the gains. "There are 14 casinos in Goa, and nearly 50 per cent gamblers visiting off-shore casinos are locals, while 90 per cent punters at the on-shore casinos are Goans," it added, informing that due to casinos, the domestic violence has increased, marriages broken, children's education affected, gold ornaments pawned, and loans taken on properties by mortgaging them. Furthermore, the party said that law and order situation in Goa has deteriorated, with rise in ATM frauds, counterfeit money, brawls, murder, blackmail, intimidation by bouncers, etc. "The drug trafficking, escort services, brothels run in flats in the residential areas, and prostitution and other immoral trades have also increased as offshoot services to casinos," it observed, pointing out that workers at the casinos have to work under bonded conditions with no check from labour department, which claims that it has no jurisdiction in water, while the Captain of Ports refusing to look into the labour issues. "There is no check on financial transactions, and no recording of large monies spent in casinos, while ordinary people having to show Pan Card for small transactions," AAP stated, adding that casinos today is the main source of political funding and influencing who would be our rulers. Meanwhile, replying to a question as regards the recent statements of party's leader, Arvind Kejriwal about Indian media being sold out, and sending the media to jail, if AAP gains power at the Centre, Valmiki Naik said that the media should not interpret these statements wrongly. "May be some television channels are taking money from political parties in this heat of election, but that does not mean everyone in the media is corrupt," he added, pointing out that Goan media has been very good to his party. Meanwhile, director of Casino Pride said that "this is a democratic country and all Indians have the right to hold peaceful demonstrations." "We respect people's rights," Nayak said, adding, that "I have a strong objection to connecting sex trade with the casino industry, because, the casino industry is in Goa for the last 21 years and there has been not a single incident to substantiate the logic of AAP which is saying that what is happening in Las Vegas is happening in Goa." "If this is their logic than in Australia last week a doctor was convicted for sexual assault on a patient. This means, we should file FIRs against all doctors in India. This is disrespect to the people working in the industry," he added. "Further more, this is as an election stunt and it has been in the history of AAP - that they always promise what they can't deliver. In my opinion the Election Commission should take serious cognisance of this because this is in violation of the model code of conduct as AAP is no longer an NGO. It is a political party," he said.
