Ban bikinis in public places, insists Goa PWD minister

Goa Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar Thursday once again insisted that bikinis should be banned on the state's public beaches.

Asked if he stood by his comments on banning bikinis from Goa's beaches, Dhavalikar told reporters: "I have (already) given my intention. You can have on private places whatever you want, in public places it should be banned".

In July, Dhavalikar triggered a nationwide controversy after he demanded a ban on bikinis, mini-skirts and pubs.

Goa is one of the top beach tourism destinations in the country and its beaches attract over three million tourists annually.

While the minister was criticized by media and the opposition as well as prominent civil society representatives, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had maintained that he had heard Dhavalikar in private and that he found nothing objectionable in his comments.

Dhavalikar's brother Deepak Dhavalikar had also courted controversy by insisting in the state assembly that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had the potential to make India a 'Hindu Nation'.