THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
Aldona Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira on Friday cautioned against potential misuse of a central government notification that renews powers for collectors to conduct inquiries into individuals accused of holding dual citizenship.
Ferreira expressed concerns that the move could be used to target political rivals and individuals not aligned with the BJP.
“This notification is not new; it simply empowers collectors to conduct preliminary inquiries. The final decision on citizenship lies with the central government under the Citizenship Act,” Ferreira explained.
He emphasised that the notification, in place since 2017, applies only to those who have not surrendered their Indian passports, and authorities must prove voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship.
Ferreira urged caution, fearing political bias in its application.
“I hope this power is not used to protect those loyal to the BJP while unfairly targeting opponents,” he said.
He criticised the BJP for failing to resolve the dual citizenship issue, despite promises dating back to 2014 when the late Manohar Parrikar assured a resolution if the BJP came to power.
Instead of addressing the issue, Ferreira noted, the 2017 notification empowered collectors to identify and declare those with foreign citizenship, effectively stripping them of their Indian citizenship. This notification was reissued in 2019 with the same provisions.
Ferreira concluded by recalling that both the UPA and NDA had previously supported the idea of dual citizenship but had failed to deliver concrete results.
He reiterated his concerns about the current notification being used as a tool for political manipulation rather than resolving the long-standing issue.
