Domestic tourists in Goa "scum of the earth", says Minister Vijai Sardesai

Panaji: In comments likely to raise the hackles of many, Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai on Friday said a majority of the domestic tourists visiting Goa are the “scum of the earth” and north Indian tourists want to create a Haryana in Goa. Speaking at the Goa Biz Fest organised at a resort near Panaji, the minister said it was difficult for a state that was “superior” to the rest of India vis-a-vis most social indices to control “irresponsible tourists” coming from other states. “Your chief minister is pushing to increase tourists coming into Goa. 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. “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 people who are coming in. Those people -- how will you control?” the minister added. Goa, a beach and nightlife tourism destination, attracts more than six million tourists every year as against its population of nearly 1.6 million. Sardesai also made scathing comments about tourists from north India, “who were trying to convert Goa into a Haryana”. “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.