5 irresponsible statements on Goan beaches & bikinis
INDIA TODAY, NEW DELHI | 03 September 2014 21:35 IST
Goa was again in the news on Tuesday for the wrong reasons. BJP MLA Michael Lobo has demanded a dress code for men on the beaches, days after a state minister sought a ban on bikinis.
Here are five irresponsible statements by Goan legislators and Hindu groups in the recent past.
- "There should be a proper dress code at par with international standards for men to venture on the beaches. They should be in proper swimwear, and not the shabby undergarments which give a pathetic look. They can wear swimming trunk if they want to." -- Michael Lobo, Calangute MLA and BJP's North Goa district president.
"Bikinis are against Indian culture and, if at all, Goa should have private and paid “bikini beaches" : Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Lavoo Mamledar.
- Last month, Goa PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar demanded a ban on bikinis in the state, claiming that women in skimpy dresses might create a law and order problem.
He said: "We should not allow girls with bikinis to enter public places because it very difficult to control people who arrive in Goa from different states. By the time a victim reaches the police, it is too late. It is better to control such type of activities on the beaches."
- The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a Goa-based Hindu group, had demanded a ban on the popular reality show MTV Splitsvilla, accusing the showmakers of eroding culture and promoting "short skirts, strappy dress and bikinis".
-In November 2013, while responding to a road blockade by Nigerians protesting the murder of a fellow national, Goa's Art and Culture Minister Dayanand Mandrekar called Nigerians "cancer", before apologising for his utterances.
