Goa polls: Velingkar, Shiv Sena promise ban on rave parties

Panaji, Jan 28 (IANS) Former RSS leader Subhash Velingkar-mentored Goa Suraksha Manch and the Shiv Sena, alliance partners of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party for the upcoming state assembly elections, have promised a ban on rave parties in their joint election manifesto which was released on Saturday.

"Rave parties and Electronic Dance Music (events) shall be banned," the manifesto, which was released by the Shiv Sena and GSM said.

Goa, over the last few years, has emerged as one of the most popular destinations for EDM festivals with top billing events like Sunburn and VH1 Supersonic being successfully organised here, which attracted hundreds of thousands of music lovers.

The manifesto also promises to cut all grants to government aided primary schools, where English is used as the medium of instruction.

Stopping of financial aid to English medium schools, most of them operated by the Diocesan Society of Education, was one of the main reasons for the conflict between Velingkar and the BJP in Goa.

While Velingkar has accused the BJP of pandering to the minority community, the BJP, which when in opposition was opposed to the grants too, now argues that grants to the minority institutions will continue at any cost.

The manifesto also promises a stricter regime which will crack down on drug proliferation in Goa and cutting down of security allocation for VIPs.