Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Michael Lobo on Sunday called for a safety audit of all clubs in Goa following a fire in Arpora that killed 25 people, including three women and 20 men.
Goa BJP MLA Michael Lobo alleges that the license for the nightclub where 25 people died in a fire was issued without proper documentation by the local panchayat. He emphasizes the need for safety measures in Goa's tourist destinations.
A fire at a nightclub in North Goa killed 23 people, many of whom were trapped in the kitchen while trying to escape. Fire safety violations are suspected.
A preliminary inquiry suggests electric firecrackers caused a devastating nightclub fire in Goa, resulting in 25 deaths. The incident has exposed illegalities and lax enforcement of safety rules.
The Congress on Sunday removed Michael Lobo from the post of Leader of Opposition in Goa legislative assembly, accusing him and former chief minister Digambar Kamat of "conspiring" against the party and "hobnobbing with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to ensure a split".
BJP MLA Michael Lobo claims that the sale of idli-sambar in beach shacks is contributing to a decline in international tourists visiting Goa. He attributes the issue to the influx of businessmen from other places, including Bengaluru, who are operating food stalls in the shacks. Lobo also cites other factors impacting tourism, such as the war in Ukraine, the lack of younger foreign tourists, and conflict between cab aggregators and local taxi operators.
'These beach shacks were meant to protect the employment of local Goans who in turn would showcase Goan cuisine and culture on the beaches of Goa.'
Goa assembly speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday dismissed the disqualification petition filed by the Congress against eight of its MLAs who defected to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in 2022.
Five Goa Congress MLAs, who went incommunicado a day before, attended the state assembly proceedings on the first day of the monsoon session on Monday, and claimed there was 'nothing wrong' in the opposition party.
'There is no hard evidence, but our MLAs have been getting calls from industrialists and mining mafia in the state to quit the Congress and join the BJP.'
According to sources, the Goa Congress unit has not held a single meeting after it failed to reach the majority mark of 21 in the 40-member assembly.
Goa minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Michael Lobo on Monday resigned from the Pramod Sawant-led ministry and also as member of the legislative assembly, ahead of the state polls scheduled next month.
Speaking to reporters in Panaji, the BJP's Goa desk in-charge C T Ravi said there was no discontent among the eight MLAs who joined the party earlier this year.
In a similar move in July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs had switched over to the BJP.
The Congress has accused the two MLAs of hobnobbing with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to bring about a split in the opposition party.
Wasnik claimed some people with "bad intentions" were trying to create a rift in the Goa Congress, but the legislators scuttled it by showing they are united.
The opposition party termed the defection by eight out of its 11 MLAs in Goa only seven months after the assembly elections as the "height of betrayal and shamelessness."
The suspected drug peddler, Dattaprasad Gaonkar, was detained from Anjuna after the accused duo "confessed" in their statement that they had procured drugs from him.
Left with just three MLAs, the Congress does not have the required one tenth of the legislative strength in the 40-member House to claim the Cabinet minister-level post.
Sawant took the oath in Konkani language.
The Minister further said that there are certain people who are opposing the installation of the statue and they are the ones who don't want to see the country going ahead in sports.
Aditi Phadnis picks five key seats in the three states where assembly elections are being held today.
He said his supporters were apprehensive that joining TMC would invite the "outside party" to Goa which will split votes.
His remarks come amid BJP ministers and legislators quitting the party in UP ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in the state.
While none of the five 'rebel' MLAs were available for comments, sources in the BJP claimed the legislators were in touch with them.
The Goa government will install the life-size statue of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, who passed away on Wednesday, in the coastal belt of North district by early next year, a senior minister said on Wednesday.
'The BJP has proved that it is a threat to all its allies'
'Since we defeated their evil designs on July 10, their poaching approach became more aggressive with using blackmail and money power as tools to finish off the political opposition in Goa.'
All the candidates checked in the resort on Tuesday evening with their luggage, indicating that the government formation may be a long haul.
Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar has sought time to respond to the Calling Attention motion moved by Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Michael Lobo on the issue of Playboy Club, which has sought permission to open a branch in the state.
Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar told the state legislative assembly on Monday that the government is considering Playboy's proposal to set up a club at Candolim beach, while responding to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Michael Lobo on the floor of the House.
A Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Goa has threatened to go on a hunger strike if a Playboy nightclub is allowed to open in his state, claiming that it would promote prostitution in the tourist hub. Michael Lobo is opposing a nightclub proposed on Candolim beach -- the first of dozens of Playboy outlets that are being planned across the country.
The Association of Democratic Reforms said Goa has set a unique record, which is "unparalleled" in the history of Indian democracy.
Michael Lobo, who resigned as deputy speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, and three of the 10 MLAs who joined the BJP -- Chandrakant Kavlekar, Jeniffer Monserratte, Philip Neri Rodrigues -- were sworn in as new ministers.
Both the BJP and the Congress said they will seek support of the MGP in case they fall short of the majority mark of 21.
'Why are the people who stood with the Congress through thick and thin, why are they leaving?'
Sudin Dhavalikar hit back, terming the development as "dacoity by chowkidars".
'Parrikar died twice...once on March 17 physically while today it is the death of his political legacy'
Besides 11 members from BJP, three each from the Goa Forward Party, the MGP and independents supported Sawant during the head count conducted in the House.
The discussions on the new Goa CM came to a halt after Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar wanted to be the chief minister.
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