PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has finally broken his silence on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) corrigendum concerning Portuguese citizenship of Goan origin, clarifying that it did not outright reject the earlier Office Memorandum, which indicated Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will accept the Revocation Certificates for OCI registrations.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat on Friday, Sawant stated that the matter is currently under consideration by the MHA with direct communication channels established.
“The corrigendum doesn’t mean a ‘no’ but only states that it is under consideration of the MHA. The process has begun and MHA will make a final decision. We are also directly communicating with the MHA,” he stated.
Sawant also rubbished Opposition claims that the corrigendum, issued on April 30, was intentionally concealed due to the impending polling for Lok Sabha elections in Goa on May 7.
The recent controversial stance taken by the Government of India regarding citizenship issue had sparked confusion and debate in the State, particularly among numerous Portuguese citizenship holders.
The government has come under criticism for not only withholding the Corrigendum during the lead-up to the polls on May 7 but also keeping the Bombay High Court in Goa in the dark about the crucial updates during its final hearing, held a week after the corrigendum.
On May 6, the High Court ruled that OCI registrations can now be accepted with Revocation Certificates based on April 4 office memorandum from the MEA and subsequent submissions by the GoI.
