Casi-NO! CT Ravi now does U-turn on starting gambling establishments in Karnataka
BENGALURU: Looks like Tourism minister CT Ravi has a ‘chip’ on his shoulder–about casinos in the US. His grouse is that Karnataka is losing Indian money being spent on casinos there. He wants to spin the wheel to get back the payout money here. Seizing the chance in this ‘high-stakes’ political game, the opposition wanted to know if the minister was suggesting opening casinos in Karnataka to boost tourism.
On Saturday,
Ravi jumped to his own defence and said he didn’t mean starting casinos here. He said he only mentioned that in the US, about ten per cent of those patronizing casinos were Indians. “The money is Indian money and they are taking it abroad. Casinos in Singapore and Sri Lanka have large number of patrons of Indian origin and at the end it is Indian money that is going abroad,” he said.
He added that it was up to the government to take a call. Senior Congress leader HK Patil, who didn’t seem to be amused by all this talk of casinos by Ravi, said, “Casino is not the way to boost tourism. It goes against Karnataka culture. We cannot emulate other nations and encourage these gaming houses.’’ Congress spokesman and former MP VS Ugrappa gave the whole issue a different spin. “There are many problems faced by people in the state. Instead of addressing these problems and meeting people’s expectations, they are catering to the foreigners’ desire to have casinos here.
One minister says liquor will be supplied to houses in Karnataka and now tourism minister talks about casinos. They keep flaunting their patriotism. Is this how they show their love for the nation? If they want to improve tourism they can improve beaches along the western coast. And instead of improving world-class tourism centres like Hampi and providing proper infrastructure at tourism spots, all they can think of is casinos. We can assess their mindset through such statements.”