Bhiva Parab | NT
PANAJI: While the casino issue has been regularly making the news since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power, it could hardly have impact on the assembly elections and there are chances that hardly some votes will be lost by the BJP in the forthcoming assembly elections on the casino issue. It is not a popular and major issue during the forthcoming assembly elections.
Before the 2012 state assembly elections, the BJP had led a campaign against the casino industry and had promised that if voted to power its government would shift Mandovi casinos, however the BJP government is now being accused by the political parties and activists of backing the casino industry, with the party not having fulfilled its promise of doing away with casinos.
When contacted, some people said that they are opposed to the casinos, however during the forthcoming polls this is not a major issue and there will be hardly any impact of the “U-turn” of the BJP government on the promises made of shifting the casinos from the Mandovi river during the earlier assembly election. Some votes will go against the BJP, however the casino issue will not have major impact on the elections.
“The casino culture may not be good for the state of Goa but hardly anything is done to shift the casinos from the river Mandovi. The casino industry should be opposed, however not much awareness is being created on the casino issue and so it will hardly have any impact on BJP’s vote bank. There are several other issues which will be of more importance in the coming assembly elections,” said a local Sadanand Vaingankar.
While another local J Menezes said, “The state of Goa has off-shore and on-shore casinos and the BJP had promised to shift the off-shore casinos from river Mandovi during its 2012 Goa assembly campaign, but it is yet to act on the promise after coming to power, however for the forthcoming polls this issue is not a major issue I feel as every constituency has its own issues which are of more importance and casino issue is mostly left to the activists and political parties and it may have little effect on the assembly elections, however some votes may go against the current government on the casino issue.”
It may noted that the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had defended his government’s stand to support offshore and other casinos stating that the state’s economy is dependent on it but he does not support increasing their number. The CM had also stated that the casinos create direct and indirect employment opportunities.
According to some locals, it may be that casinos create direct and indirect employment opportunities, however as far as elections is concerned it will not be a major issue which will turn many number of voters in favor or against the state government as the issue is of not much interest to the hinterland areas especially rural areas of the state and as other important issues are there which will play an important role in the forthcoming assembly elections.
BJP no longer opposed to casinos
The present BJP government is no longer opposed to casinos, even though before the 2007 elections, the BJP had termed casinos as dens of corruption, and promised to shut them immediately, if it came to power but it lost the election, but kept same promise during 2012 election and run anti-casino campaign as also committed to move out casinos from River Mandovi.
The casinos were first introduced to initiate live gaming by Congress. However, opponents are betting BJP would end up losing.
There are 6 off-shore and around a dozen on-shore casinos in the state. Roughly, the industry contributes Rs 180 crore in revenue to the exchequer — less than 2 per cent of the state’s annual budget of Rs 10,000 crore. It also generates employment to 10,000 Goans.
BJP MP Narendra Sawaikar said, “The Congress has started casino culture but if seen on a larger perspective, casino industry creates jobs, increases tourism and brings revenue to the government. The casinos are operating in the manner that they should be and that, we think, it can’t spoil the name of the state if the activities are regulated,” he observed, pointing that “we can think of having alternative to casinos, if we gradually start shifting and promote job generating industries.”
Allowing casinos was a mistake: Cong
The Congress party has said allowing casinos had been a “mistake” and accused the BJP and asked, “Just because the state gets Rs 200 crore, it wants to make Goa the vice capital of India, the sin city of India?” and asked for a public opinion poll to question the need for casinos in Goa.
AAP promises to root out casinos
The AAP is playing the BJP’s 2007 and 2012 card promising to root out the casino industry altogether. But the party has proposed replacement incentives, and promises for rehabilitation of Goans dependent on casinos to job creating industries. It also assured to help the tourism sector with easy approvals for regularisation of hotels and guesthouses that currently often involve the payment of hefty bribes.
However, the newly-formed regional Goa Forward party president Prabhakar Timble claimed to be his party is ‘casino negative’ and says the industry neither brings any secure employment nor it has been productive for those who work in the casinos. However, he refuses to say the party is against the casino but rather said they are neutral.