PANAJI: Weeks ahead of one of Goa’s largest EDM festivals, Siolim MLA and former minister Vinod Paliencar alleged that trance music was played by demons during the Hindu mythological war Samudra Manthan against the gods.

The MLA, who was till four months ago fisheries minister in the BJP government, has been trying to build a case for a crackdown on trance parties and said that according to the Upanishads , every time trance music is played, evil triumphs over good.

Paliencar’s constituency includes Anjuna and Vagator, widely popular for the state’s nightlife and Goa trance .

“Trance music is the music of demons and we want to play such music? Of the 10 Upanishads, the Katha Upanishad talks about music and it says that during Samudra Manthan, the demons and gods fought, and this music was being played as the gods lost,” said Paliencar.

Paliencar, an MLA from Goa Forward Party , an NDA ally, also appeared to be rewriting mythology since Samudra Manthan is mentioned in the Puranas. He said if the state wanted to protect its future generation, then the music created by gods should be played.

He has also demanded a ban on the upcoming Sunburn EDM festival. The Goa gove-rnment has given ‘in-principle’ approval to host the Sunburn Klassique in the coastal belt of Vagator between December 27 and 29. “If every day four to five such crackdowns are done, the drugs issue will be solved automatically,” Paliencar said.

