NCP national leaders downplay sexual assaults on foreigners

MARGAO: In contrast to state ourism minister Francisco “Mickky” Pacheco’s recent attack on home minister Ravi Naik, following the alleged rape of a nine-year-old Russian girl at Arambol recently, national leaders ofhis party, the National Congress Party (NCP), chose to downplay the issue.Without referring to thematter, the NCP’s national president and Union agriculture minister,SharadPawar, told those gathered for the party’s state workersconvention on Saturday at Betalbatim that “one or two(such)incidents can bring disrepute”.“I am sure not a singleGoan will create problems, but sometimes things happen. Both the governments ofGoa as well as India will see that it does not happen,” Pawar said whilehe addressed the gathering on Saturday.Further cautioning the media,the NCP head went on to say, “Don’t give too much publicity to wrongthings. It might invite serious problems for tourism in the state.”The minister also asked for a change in attitude at the national aswell as local level with regard to the futurecourse of development and growth of the state. He said women had a major role to play in this. NCP national general secretary and union civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, in his speech, also downplayed the incidents in Goa. “Goa is wellknown all over the world as an international tourist destination and it is truethat the ministerin charge of tourism is concerned about the securitycover to foreign nationals in the backdrop of certain incidents. However, theseare local problems and will get sorted out,” the union civil aviationminister Patel said.