Calling them “dens of vice”, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to launch a campaign against casinos in the tourist hub of Goa this month.

“We cannot protest in public as the code of conduct is on (with the by-election in Pale assembly constituency scheduled in November), but once the polls are over and done with we will make sure that casinos are thrown out of Goa,” leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar claimed.

He said the campaign would not only cover off-shore casinos, but also those which operate in 5-star hotels in the state. “We are in the process of forming an action plan now. The casinos are nothing but dens of vice,” he stated.

Goa is India’s only state to have off-shore casinos.