Panaji, Sep 18 - Goa Tourism Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco Friday said vested political interests were gunning for him, especially in view of the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

Pacheco has been booked by the Crime Branch of the state police on charges of threatening and extorting money from an onshore casino management to the tune of Rs.360,000.

Speaking to reporters here, he said: 'Some people wanted to defame the NCP in the run-up to the assembly elections in Maharashtra.'

'Some people want to put me behind bars. They want to defame the NCP all over Maharashtra with the help of such trumped up charges,' he said. And added: 'This is exactly what the Congress culture is like.