Dual duplicity?
After the issue of dual citizenship gained steam with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs pronouncing its verdict on Benaulim MLA Caetano Silva as no longer being a citizen of India, politicians and political parties have been quick to score brownie points against each other as they allay fears of Goans who have registered their births with the Central registry in Lisbon. When politicians act so quickly on any issue, however, it is certain that some self-benefit is at hand! This time around, their eyes are on gaining an advantage in the ensuing Lok Sabha election. Instead of taking the issue seriously and pursuing the matter with the Central government and seeking legal opinion, parties have indulged in partisan politics.
Given that the petitioner against Caitu is a friend of the former Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao, the latter is going all out to seek the ouster of Caitu, his political rival. But, ironically, in the same breath Churchill assured the (other) people who have also registered their births in Lisbon that their interest would be taken care of! As such, Churchill is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, since if the law applies to Caitu, and Churchill pursues his ouster through his friend, on a parity of reasoning he would in effect be pushing for declaring all Goans holding Portuguese Citizenship as no longer being citizens of India.
The BJP and the State government too have shown partisanship in standing by Caitu and even batting for dual citizenship in its Lok Sabha election manifesto. While this can be seen as wishful thinking, given the constraining provisions of the Indian Constitution, at present the issue has been left to fester with dangerous implications.
While the BJP’s duplicity in “cleansing” the MPT jetty after the departure of the Portuguese ship on the Vasco da Gama quincentenary but now batting for dual citizenship for those registered in Portugal is there for all to see, Churchill has openly admitted that he has even helped Goans to secure Portuguese passport himself, indeed a shocking admission by a former elected representative of the Republic of India.
Despite all the assurances given by the ruling and opposition parties, the Indian Constitution does not allow dual citizenship. Neither the OCI nor PIO status in anyway confers dual citizenship. An OCI does not get an Indian passport, or voting rights, or the right to contest any election to public office, and cannot hold any Constitutional or government post. The only benefits are multi entry, multipurpose lifelong visas and exemption from reporting to police authorities for any lengthy stay in India. A PIO has a visa for 15 years and has to report to the police for stay of only over 180 days on any single visit.
In the interregnum of the court decisions on the petitions against Caitu which are pending, the situation has been allowed to be vitiated by the State authorities instead of imposing a status quo, in consultation with the Centre, on all action on the issue. The partisanship of the police is also of serious concern with FIRs filed against the Majorda sarpanch by Colva police and against a Margao municipal councilor by the Margao police and failure to file FIR against Caitu, who is close to the ruling dispensation. It appears that every person who has any enmity against another will file such police complaints flooding police stations with loads of unnecessary work.
While the reasons cited in FIRs are prima facie valid ~ that the public representatives concealed information and violated Representation of People’s Act, Registration of Foreigners’ Act and Passport Act ~ it is the Supreme Court decision which would finally set a precedent to either retain or dismiss all these persons from office. Till then, politicos should spare the public.
