User X and lawyer Ramanuj Mukherjee hit back after Goa Tourism The department filed a police complaint, accusing him of spreading “false data through his social media” that would have caused “annoyance to local businesses”.

Mukherjee has previously shared data through X posts to claim that foreign tourists are visiting Goa has dropped significantly, a claim the state tourism department has labeled as “grossly inaccurate”.

Now in an open letter to the Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawantthe lawyer and CEO said he was “furious about the frivolous complaint” but would accept being a “scapegoat” if it led to the underlying issues being resolved.

“I remembered so many faces of the Goan people I met when I lived there for several years. This morning I wake up feeling their sadness and anxiety. If you have a political need to find a scapegoat in me, with whom I conspired. A Chinese propaganda site to hurt Goan tourism, I am ready to bear the consequences But unfortunately this will not solve any of your real problems, maybe it will act as a temporary relief to your feelings,” he wrote in the post long on X.

Mukherjee also claimed that ministers in Pramod Sawant’s government had given similar statements to the media about the drop in tourist numbers this year.

“I am actually hopeful that this wave of publicity will give you the necessary political space to make the changes that you desperately need for Goan tourism to grow again,” he remarked.

Take a look at his full post here:

In his message, he talked about visiting Goa every year as a student and claimed that tourists now feel cheated in the city.

“Even if the data I shared was incorrect, you must realize that the data itself did not make the post go viral. This issue went viral because it led to an outpouring of people’s feelings. Tourists went to Goa and felt cheated. They spoke about their grievances,” he added

Urging the Chief Minister to address the root of the problem, Mukherjee said there are no quick fixes.

“Will you reform Goan tourism and make it take the next big leap? India deserves no less, Goa deserves no less. You have a lot of work to do, silencing the critics on social media is probably not the most important thing right now. I was happy when you won re-election. I put my trust in you to make things right.

(Also read: Goa Tourism files case against user X for ‘false data’ on foreign tourist arrivals)

On the other hand, the Goa Tourism Department stated in a press release that Goa’s international tourism is on a steady recovery path. “In 2023, foreign tourist arrivals increased to more than 450,000, a significant increase from pandemic lows. Goa has seen a strong resurgence in domestic tourism, with 2023 witnessing over 8 million domestic visitors,” it said.

The department also said it was inaccurate to compare Goa with countries like Sri Lanka as it could give an “inaccurate perspective”.

HT.com has contacted Ramanauj Mukherjee for a statement. This story will be updated when we receive a response.