Goa Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Friday demanded that the Portuguese Consulate in the city should be shifted to the national capital in order to prevent Goans from opting for dual citizenship.
The senior Minister from three-member MGP, a soft Hindutva regional outfit, was responding to a query from presspersons about a demand made earlier this week by Goa's freedom fighters who sought closure of the Consulate processing Goan natives’ documents for Portuguese citizenship under their nationality law.
“I am reiterating my demand for shifting of the Portuguese Consulate to Delhi,” Mr. Dhavalikar said.
On Tuesday, Goa Freedom Fighters’ Association had demanded closure of the Consulate accusing the Portuguese government of trying to interfere in the State's internal affairs by offering citizenship for Goans.
Senior freedom fighter and noted poet Naguesh Karmali had said that the Government of India must not accord any concessions to Goans who opted to register their births in Central Portuguese Registry in Lisbon.
Meanwhile, Congress Rajya Sbha MP Shantaram Naik has been pleading with the Centre for amending the provisions of Indian Citizenship Act to give relief to those Goans who had registered their names in Portugal without knowing that it would amount to loss of Indian citizenship.
The Union Home Ministry has now promised to set up an authority in Goa to examine the citizenship issue on a case by case basis.
Mr. Naik apprehended that the proposed creation of an authority to examine the issue of citizenship of such Goans, and its sittings in Goa will delay the resolution of the issue, eventually leading to the Election Commission of India (ECI) disenfranchising them from electoral rolls.
According to Mr. Naik, over 32,000 Goans have already lost their voting right and around 80,000 more are already under the ECI’s radar.
“BJP is playing mischief so that a substantial number of minorities lose their voting rights”, Mr. Naik said.
After Goa was liberated in 1961, all Goan natives were granted Indian citizenship by the Union Home Ministry via a common notification.
However, the departing Portuguese allowed those living in Goa during the Portuguese regime to register their birth in Portugal and avail of citizenship and travel identity documents. The privilege was later extended to two more generations of Goans.
However, over the years, nearly two lakh Goans, including some politicians, were estimated to have opted for the Portuguese citizenship, retaining their Indian citizenship as well.
