Goa’s minorities
not affected
Babu Kavlekar
Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar when asked what was his perception of the CAA-NRC-NPR debate said that in no way would minorities from Goa be affected by it.
“Those who have infiltrated into the country from the countries named in the CAA are stuck in border states. Goa is not affected. The Muslims in Goa do not have to be worried,” Kavlekar said.
He said, being part of the BJP and government, he supports the legislations and sees nothing objectionable in any of them.
Kavlekar said, it is good that the government will document information on every resident otherwise there is the possibility of dangerous elements living in hiding here.
“Falleam konn choryan ravlo anik blast kelo zallear?” (Tomorrow what if someone stays in hiding and perpetrates a blast?) he asked, in response to a query on why he is on the side of the supporters of the legislation.
No valid reason
to oppose
Mauvin Godinho
There is no valid reason to oppose CAA, said Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, adding that no one will have to prove their citizenship.
“Efforts are being made to misguide the people, poison their minds and damage the social fabric in Goa. I don’t understand the argument behind opposing CAA. Some people are opposing CAA and making one person fight with another. We will not allow this in Goa nor the country,” Godinho said.
Supreme Court has not given a stay on CAA and it will decide the matter soon. Can’t these people even wait for the Supreme Court verdict?” Godinho asked.
People being misguided
Milind Naik
Urban Development Minister Milind Naik said he supports the CAA and that there was no threat to any person as it would not affect anyone’s well being in the country.
“CAA is already a law now and has been passed in Parliament. There has been a lot of false propaganda being made that some people may lose their citizenship. The opposition is trying to misguide people in a bid to try and recover lost political ground. They are hoping that by creating an issue based on false propaganda, they will get attention of the voters who have deserted them for the last ten years. Attempts are being made by the opposition to damage social fabric and divide the people on basis of religion for selfish political gains,” Naik said.
Against the grain
of Constitution
Digambar Kamat
Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat said, the Congress party had deliberated on the CAA in detail before taking the decision to oppose the Act and for states where the party is in power to pass resolutions seeking withdrawal of the legislation.”For the first time citizenship has been linked with religion. This was not the objective of the founding fathers of the Constitution, including Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who studied constitutions of various countries before preparing the draft of the Indian Constitution,” Kamat said, adding that linking citizenship with religion cannot be accepted as it amounts to discrimination on the basis of religion.
“Similarly, NRC is being proposed with some agenda in mind. NRC will only create hardships for the common man as they will be required to produce birth documents of their parents and place of their birth,” he added.
A tad too late Pratapsing Rane
About the CAA in Goa, “I cannot comment because everyone’s births here are registered,” Poriem MLA Pratapsing Rane said.
Nationally, on the CAA providing for citizenship to people coming in, Rane said it should have been implemented years ago.
“Suddenly in 2020 we are worried about people coming in?” Rane, who has served as chief minister multiple times, said, adding that those entering the country illegally, cannot become citizens of any country.
Rane also said that the Act should apply to everybody as India is a secular country.
“People coming in from those three countries will be primarily Muslim since those three countries were founded on the basis of religion,” Rane said, adding that he cannot say whether he is pro or against the CAA, until the situation on the ground has been properly studied, and proper figures of the number of people who will be affected is known.
Doubts have led to protESTS ON CAA
Alina Saldanha
Cortalim BJP MLA Alina Saldanha said there were protests in Goa over CAA because there possibly are doubts in people’s minds over the issue.
“Yesterday there was a huge meeting in Goa and similar meets are happening in other parts of the country. May be there are certain unanswered questions and doubts in the minds of the people and therefore I agree with the suggestion made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that there should be an open debate on the issue. I think this will clear the doubts in the mind of the people and the CM’s suggestion should be made a reality so that it will clear the doubts from the minds of the people in Goa,” Saldanha said.
Oppn trying to cash in
Joshua D’Souza
Joshua D’Souza, the young BJP legislator from Mapusa said: “The Opposition is trying to use the opportunity to get some mileage out of it. This Act is not a new thing. It has been there for a long time. It has been there during the Congress time too. The Opposition is just instigating the minorities.”
With regard to NPR, Joshua said: “The census happens every ten years. In Goa we are more organised. Everybody has a birth certificate and things are on record. Compared to the rest of the country, I think we are much better organised with documentation. A lot of people who are protesting don’t even know what the Act is about.”
Asked to justify throwing his lot with the pro CAA-NRC-NPR side, Joshua said: “The CAA will help a lot of minorities get refuge in India. People who have no documents get an opportunity to apply for the same. Every country has a record… Everybody in those countries has a social security number and India has its own. If you don’t have the card you are thrown behind bars in that country. You need to have a valid ID. You need to be registered with the government. We need to know who are living here legally or illegally. All that matters.”
Cannot be opposed
to govt view
Filipe Neri Rodrigues
Minister for Water Resources Filipe Neri Rodrigues said, “I am part of the BJP government and hence my views are no different than that of the government. As a member of the Council of Ministers, I cannot have my own views on any issue that is contrary to the government, whether it is on CAA or any other issue. However, I would like to say that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has time and again said that he is open for any discussion on the issue in order to remove misconceptions or doubts, if any, in the minds of the people on the CAA.”
NPR same as Census
Nilkanth Halarnkar
Tivim MLA, Nilkant Halarnkar, one among the 10 MLAs who switched from the Congress to the BJP said, the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) is brought in for the sake of minorities who feel unsafe in those three countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan).
“Muslims have not been included in the Act simply because those three countries are Muslim countries and they are safe there. Muslims in India have nothing to be anxious about, but some sort of fear has gripped them. They feel they will be neglected in future and therefore are protesting,” Halarnkar said.
On NPR, Halarnkar said, it is equal to the census which is held in the country every 10 years.
“I think this (NPR) is a normal process and there is no harm in it. The government has made it very clear that no decision has been taken yet on implementation of NRC.
Halarnkar said, he was “definitely for CAA-NRC-NPR” because CAA is basically to help minorities who settled in neighbouring countries.
“They must have gone there for better prospects, like Christians settled in Pakistan. These minorities have Indian DNA in them. With this Act these minorities will be able to gain citizenship of India,” Halarnkar said when asked to state his reasons for supporting the legislation..
CAA is already law
Carlos Almeida
Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida said he was supportive of the CAA.
“After all, the CAA has become an Act of Parliament. As far as NPR is concerned, we cannot discuss it as yet as it has not come up for discussion in the parliament. Once it is discussed, we can see what it is all about,” said Almeida.
FIRMLY WITH CAA-NRC-NPR
Isidore Fernandes
Deputy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes claimed he did not see much of an issue with the CAA-NRC-NPR.
Asked if he was for or against the CAA-NRC-NPR, Fernandes replied: “I am firmly with the government on this CAA-NRC-NPR.”
Asked to justify his defence of the CAA-NRC-NPR, Fernandes said: “It won’t be right if I say I have my personal views over the issue, because when we decide, we decide it collectively and being part of this government, I am with the government’s decision.”
“If there are any differences on this issue, they are raised, discussed and sorted out internally. I am part of this state government and support its decision.”
All hinges on implementation
Tony Fernandes
Antonio (Tony) Fernandes, the St Cruz MLA, was forthright and said the CAA-NPR-NRC in essence was a good legislation. Whether discriminatory towards the minorities or not hinges on the manner it plays out at the time of implementation of the legislations, he said, adding that enumeration of citizens is good for governance. Asked, which side he was on, Fernandes said he favours the legislations, as much as the BJP to which he belongs, has piloted the laws.
Deadly, GFP opposes it
Vijai Sardesai
“The GFP opposes the deadly CAA-NRC-NPR combination. It is part of their strategy to polarise India and disenfranchise Muslims and all communities who normally do not vote for them,” said MLA Vijay Sardessai.
“The CAA violates Article XIV of the Indian Constitution and establishes a platform for the communal forces to bulldoze their ideology pan-India. This includes our tiny but peace-loving Goa too.
“The NPR-NRC combination are exercises involving huge amount of public funds in an already sinking economy. Each one of us, who has been an Indian citizen all his or her life, whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian or of any other religion, will suddenly be a non-citizen and will have to stand in a line to prove citizenship.
“Demonetisation destroyed the Indian economy. Now these draconian tactics to divert attention from the economic situation have put our nation in turmoil.”
Will affect Portuguese passport holders
Churchill Alemao
NCP MLA from Benaulim, Churchill Alemao, said he is opposing the CAA because he feels along with NPR and NRC it will go against thousands of Goans who moved to Europe with Portuguese passports for employment.
“As things stand today, around 70 per cent of Goa’s minority community has gone abroad to earn a living. I am worried about the future of these Goans if the CAA, NPR and NRC are implemented in the country,” Alemao said.
He also said that with Brexit, Goans with Portuguese passports may face an uncertain future and be in real trouble if they cannot return back to their homeland.
“If Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed not to withdraw CAA, what is the guarantee that the government will not implement NRC in the future?” Alemao asked.
People genuinely fear losing citizenship
Reginaldo Lourenco
The BJP government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a big trust deficit right from the time of demonetisation, Congress MLA Aleixo Reginald Lourenco said.
“People have genuine fears that the proposed NPR and NRC will render them without citizenship in the future. The government should listen to the voice of the people and not label protesters as anti-nationals,” Lourenco said.
He said, instead of threatening opponents of CAA, the government should listen to their voices as the minorities have begun to feel that the whole agenda is to target them.
WILL CAUSE HARDSHIPS, DEATHS
Luizinho Faleiro
Navelim MLA, Luizinho Faleiro said, although the CAA, NRC and NPR may be new to Goa and Goans, the people of North-East had been agitating against these measures since 2016 and an agitation was launched since they enjoy special protection under the Constitution.
Faleiro said, the Congress is opposing the CAA, NRC and NPR in its present form as the law will only create hardships for the common man.
“People who could not produce documents in Assam are languishing in detention camps. It is evident that the agenda of the government is to polarize and create a communal divide in order to hide the failures on the economic front and take the votes from the people on communal lines. Neither CAA nor NRC and NPR will help the people, but end up in creating hardships and deaths,” he adds.
