Domestic tourists visiting Goa are 'scum of the earth': State Minister

Calling Goa a state "superior" to the rest of India, Vijai Sardesai said it is difficult to control "irresponsible tourists" who have been coming from other states.

PANAJI: In comments that are sure to invite criticism, Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai on Friday said that north Indian tourists want to create a Haryana in Goa. "We are dependent on north Indians and this is what they do. They are not bothered about Goa. They will like to recreate a Haryana in Goa," Sardesai said.

He also claimed that most of the domestic tourists visiting Goa are the 'scum of the earth'. "Today, we receive tourists who are almost six times the state's population. Those tourists are not the top-end tourists. They are also the scum of the earth," Sardesai said.

Calling Goa a state "superior" to the rest of India, Sardesai said it is difficult to control "irresponsible tourists" who have been coming from other states. "Are they responsible? Are they conscious? They are not. If you compare Goans to the rest of India, we are very high in per capita income, social and political consciousness, health parameters, and many other parameters. So, we are much superior than the people who are coming in. Those people -- how will you control?" the Minister added.

The minister made the comments while speaking at the Goa Biz Fest organised at a resort near Panaji.

Goa, a beach and nightlife tourism destination, attracts more than six million tourists every year as against its population of nearly 1.6 million.

Meanwhile, speaking at another event, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said he is worried as girls have started consuming alcohol. "I have begun to fear now, because even the girls have started drinking beer. The tolerance limit is being crossed," Parrikar said.