Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai defended his decision to use bouncers.
Flooded with questions over his decision to use "bouncers" and not the police at a state government meeting, Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai said they were "healthy Goans", who just happened to be wearing jeans and black shirts. The minister added that if he if he rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles, he would also look like a bouncer.
"The problem is this. If you have jaundice, you will see the world with a yellow tint...so, it is how you look at it. Now if you see a good, healthy Goan and you think he is a bouncer, it's your problem. We are a young political party and in this young party, there are many youngsters who work out," Mr Sardesai said.
Photos of the bouncers guarding the office of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) during a meeting on Thursday went viral in social media resulting in widespread criticism.
Mr Sardesai also said that using the "bouncer" slur was unfair and there was no question of intimidating anyone.
Bouncers at a meeting of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority.
"What is a bouncer? Don't I look like a bouncer? Should I roll up (his sleeves) and show you, how it looks? If they were healthy, you are calling them bouncers? It is an insult. A healthy person can also be a Minister, no?" he asked
Expressing dismay, the minister said Goa was suffering from the culture of "perpetual antagonism", where people oppose for the sake of opposing.