BJP today protested the Congress government's move to encourage opening of casinos,saying it would give rise to unchecked gambling and warned of an agitation if the move was not dropped.
President of BJP's local unit V Saminathan in a release here said Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao had gone on record stating that casinos would be part of tourism development programmes here.
"But the fact is that casinos would only give rise to unchecked gambling and lure the youth into various questionable practices including alcoholism, he said.
Saminathan alleged that Puducherry was already witnessing serious unemployment problem among the educated youth.
Instead of encouraging industries to generate jobs and prevent flight of industries fromUnion Territory to other States, the Congress government here was now making a move to encourage casinos.
Saminathan recalled Rao's recent statement that casinos would be part of tourism programmes and said tourism should not be at the cost of values and ethics.
If theMinister did not drop the move, BJP would be forced to launch a massive agitation against the plan.
