PANAJI: Aldona MLA Advocate Carlos Alvares Ferreira has strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, accusing it of promoting illicit activities under the guise of tourism and demanding an immediate police and Tourism Department crackdown to protect Goa's reputation.
Ferreira referred to an Instagram poster promoting gatherings of men and women in the state, arguing that it points directly to prostitution and is tarnishing Goa's image.
"A friend from Delhi forwarded me a WhatsApp poster of a man and woman which says 'Goa Meet and Connect'. The Instagram account is mentioned in the poster and this is linked to this. The poster says boys will be charged Rs 500 per person and for girls it is free entry for 48 hours only and after 48 hours, charges will apply. It is also mentioned 'meet like-minded Indians in Goa' and 'fun conversations and real connections', 'date potential matches' and 'safe, positive and respective environment'," he said.
He further highlighted another promotional video from the same account.
"Another video by this Instagram account shows a man who is promoting the poster who is saying married men have no entry, and he ends the video saying Jai Shree Ram. What kind of a person is he? What is happening? All these outsiders are coming to Goa and are sullying the image of the state," he said.
Ferreira called upon the authorities to take swift action against such activities.
"Is this the kind of tourism that is being promoted? Is the government not looking into this? Is this a ploy to deceive people, charge them Rs 500 and then disappear with the money? This is an open-and-shut prostitution case. Police should crack down on this. Tourism department should shut this down," he said.
He also laid the blame squarely on the BJP government, urging citizens to vote them out in the upcoming elections.
"Goa is not a destination for this kind of dating and for sex. Do this in UP, Haryana, Delhi. Why are they coming to Goa? Because people will thrash them? In the name of love jihad, people were caught and beaten up. We saw this in Bihar recently. They think anything can be done in Goa. They are taking advantage of the state. The government is taking commission and therefore Goa's image is being sullied. BJP is promoting this, we need to vote them out," he said.
