PANAJI
Former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro on Saturday made a strong case for 'dual citizenship' for Goan arguing that when the facility is available to citizens of former French colony Puducherry it should also be extended to Goa.
Faleiro, who addressed the media in the capital city said, he has voiced this demand in a letter he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days ago.
"There are more Goans outside Goa than in Goa. I am told there are about 2 lakh in UK alone. The Middle East has another 2.5 lakh. And, in the rest of the world another 2.5 lakh." Faleiro said, adding that the MEA circular of November 2022 has put all of them in trouble.
"As per the circular, passports of Goans who have acquired Portuguese citizenship are being revoked and made ineligible even for the OCI status," he said, adding that this is injustice.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Faleiro cites the case of dual citizenship in Puducherry and says: "It is my humble suggestion that a similar facility should be extended to Goa and Goans can therefore hold dual citizenship of India and Portugal."
Faleiro said Goans opted for the Portuguese passport because it is a passport to not just Portugal but also several countries in Europe and other parts of the world which helps them to be gainfully and lucratively employed commensurate with their high education.
Lakhs of Goans are now abroad on the basis of the Portuguese passport they opted for. Their love for Goa is immense and this MEA circular has put them in trouble rendering them ineligible for even the OCI status, he said.
Pointing out that the Prime Minister handed over the OCI card to the former Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa on his visit to that country, Faleiro asked why is it that Goans should be deprived of the same privilege.
In the letter to Modi, the former chief minister and Raya Sabha MP has said he had written to past prime ministers who had conveyed that "dual citizenship" for Goans is under the Central government's consideration.
