AAP demands apology from Goa minister for 'scum' remark

PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party in Goa today demanded an apology from Goa minister Vijai Sardesai for calling domestic tourists "scum".
The party said that the minister's outburst was derogatory, abusive, disgraceful and indignified.

"The word scum is unacceptable coming from a minister against fellow Indians and generalising all domestic tourists," said Pradip Padgaonkar, general secretary of the Goa unit of AAP.

He said that the word was the last one that could be used against fellow Indians, and the party demanded an apology from Sardesai.

He added, "His making cultural segregations and commenting on the quality of the guest only defines his outdated feudal, classist mindset."

"The government's inability to govern and therein provide facilities and systems for visiting tourists is not a reason to blame the visitor. Popular tourist destinations across the globe do not distinguish between visitors but provide necessary infrastructure to manange the influx," Padgaonkar said.

He said that while the state government made high decibel announcements on attracting "high spending" tourists to the state, the move had led to the curtailing of overall arrivals.

He added that the state was now getting tourists who were out on a shoestring budget.

"This is due to the sheer lack of political will to change things in Goa. This is the reason for the tourism industry to go down the drain," he said.

"The tourism industry is not marred by domestic tourists but by drug-trafficking, prostitution, gambling dens, illegal constructions and the like, all with the blessings and patronage of our politicians," he alleged.

He said that the state was plagued with infrastructure woes and the garbage disposal mechanism was in shambles.

He said that with the roads of the state lined with tonnes of garbage, tourists were taking home images of these along with swaying palms and white sand beaches.

"Ministers and beauracrats embark on yearly junkets, in the name of studying methods of garbage treatment, to Austria, Germany and Italy, but there has been no improvement on ground," he added.

Sardesai had today claimed that he was quoted out of context but maintained that some section of tourists were "scum of the earth" for their behaviour while holidaying in Goa.