Porvorim: Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai demanded on Monday that state govt should strongly take up the issue of dual citizenship for Goans who have been granted Portuguese citizenship.Sardesai, in his zero-hour mention, said, “I urge govt to take up strongly with the Union govt the concerns of the Goan diaspora arising from Goa’s unique history under the Portuguese empire prior to the annexation of Goa by India”.Sardesai said that the primary driver for Goans seeking Portuguese citizenship was economic opportunity, and that with Portuguese nationality, they got access to 27 countries. “They get jobs in the hospitality, IT, and healthcare sectors. They send remittances to Goa by contributing to the GDP, which reflects in the chief minister’s budget,” said Sardesai.He also said the dual citizenship formula was for remittances to become legal. “There is a need to harness the diaspora as a bridge for Indo-European Union trade,” he said.“In 2019, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor moved a private member bill in Parliament, and it was admitted, and that means constitutionally this concept is worthy of debate. I urged the chief minister to take a stand, and he should show how much of a good relationship he has with the double engine (govt). A lot of people left Goa; records show that 8,452 people left Goa,” said Sardesai.The Fatorda MLA said, “We got Liberation in 1961, and Independence was in 1947. Goa is a unique case in the country, and there is a need to get this special treatment for Goa. Unemployment in Goa is the second-highest in the country, and that is the reason they are moving out of Goa.”He also recalled the recent incident involving European council president Antonio Costa, who has Goan roots, highlighting his personal connection to India by showing his OCI card in the presence of PM Narendra Modi.“The Goan diaspora that acquired citizenship of Portugal due to historical circumstances still maintains strong family and cultural ties with Goa and deserves a suitable legal framework to preserve their connection with India,” said Sardesai.
