MARGAO
In a development that has again brought to the fore the question of Portuguese citizenship, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ruled that former Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva is a citizen of India and not a Portuguese national.
The January 31, 2017 order passed by Director, Pravin Horo Singh, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners division (Citizenship) has categorically stated that the earlier Order dated November 20, 2013 passed by the Union Home Affairs, be treated as withdrawn.
In the order, Pravin Horo Singh was categorical in stating that he is of the firm opinion that Caetano R Silva is a citizen of India and not a Portugal national after having examined all the papers/ documentary evidences placed before him.
He further said that the impugned order of the Union Home Ministry dated November 20, 2013, which has already been quashed by the High Court of Bombay at Goa, may, therefore, be treated as withdrawn, adding “this issues with the approval of the competent Authority”, Horo Singh stated in the order.
Addressing the media in the presence of his lawyer, Adv Bairon Rodrigues, Seraulim Sarpanch Leslie Dourado and others, Caitu said that the Union Home Ministry’s order is a victory for the people of Goa. “The Alemao family may have tried its best to corner me, but Caitu has won the case though the previous order was responsible for the deletion of the names of 27,000 Goans from the voters list,” he said, while charging the Alemao family as being responsible for the deletion of names of so many Goans from the voters list.
The former Benaulim MLA further said a lot of time was wasted in Delhi and the courts instead of concentrating on development after the citizenship issue was raked up by the Alemao family. “The petitioner in the case was one John Fernandes, who is a neighbour of Churchill Alemao. I had to spent my savings to defend the case in the courts. This should not happen to other persons. Those who play such politics should be made to pay and to cleanse such politics,” he said.
On Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik’s statement that appeared in the media on Wednesday, Caitu demanded to know why the Congress did not take certain positive decisions if it was so concerned about Goans when it was in power at the Centre in 2013 when the Union Home Ministry had declared him a citizen of Portugal.
Caitu’s lawyer, Adv Bairon Rodrigues said the latest Union Home Ministry’s order will benefit not only Caitu, but Goans in general. “What went in faovur of Caitu was that he had applied for and got the visa to travel to Portugal. This helped us to prove that he was not a Portuguese national,” Adv Bairon said.
Saying that the latest order has again brought the question to the fore that registration of birth is not a surrender of nationality, Adv Bairon has said that Caitu’s victory is dedicated to all Goans.
Disclosing plans to file a suit for Rs 5 crore damages against Valanka Alemao and John Fernandes, Adv Bairon said that the suit will be filed for damages and for malicious prosecution.
