Panaji, Aug 30 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday staged a protest meeting in Panaji, to slam the BJP-led coalition government in Goa for its failure to relocate casinos off Panaji, after a 100-day deadline by a ruling MLA who had promised to shift the casinos, lapsed on August 30.

"BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate had promised that the offshore casinos would be shifted from Panaji within 100 days of being elected as Panaji MLA. The 100 days lapsed today, but the casinos are still here. Why has the BJP failed to move the casinos out despite a promise by its MLA?" AAP leader Valmiki Naik said at the protest meeting in the state capital which was attended by hundreds of AAP workers.

Monserrate, was a Congress candidate when he made the promise during the run-up to the assembly bypolls in Panaji held earlier this year. After he was elected as Panaji MLA, he subsequently joined the BJP in July this year, along with nine other Congress MLAs.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has repeatedly said that the casino industry is essential to Goa's economic fortunes and has ruled out shutting down the industry. He has, however, said, that the state government was considering shifting the casinos from Panaji to an entertainment zone, which would be specially created to house the state's casino industry.

Before coming to power 2012, the BJP had vehemently opposed the casino industry, claiming 'casino culture' would destroy local value systems.