TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Calling the actions of the Union government a “fraud” and the order in the Caitano Silva Portuguese citizenship case as ‘bogus,’ Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday came out strongly in support of the beleaguered Goa Vikas Party (GVP) legislator.
“Any Goan who has registered his birth does not loose his citizenship. In case of Caitu he has never been to Lisbon. Let them show a single document that he has signed,” the chief minister said.
Asked if he felt the order was bogus, he said “obviously.” Giving a clean chit to Caitu, Parrikar said that there are some 40,000 to 50,000 Goans who have registered themselves. “Just because he has registered he cannot loose his citizenship,” he argued.
“I am not a legal expert but I think that he has to take an oath and then renounce his citizenship. The Goa government has also flatly said that he is an Indian citizen,” he said referring to a letter written by the state to the Union government.
Stressing again on the oath, he said that there was a difference between nationality and citizenship.
The Union Home Ministry in a communiqué had said that Benaulim MLA Caetano “Caitu” Rosario Silva has ceased to be an Indian citizen from July 21, 2010. The order pronounced on Wednesday, on the application of John Fernandes of Varca, said that it determined that he is no longer a citizen of India after examining documents obtained from the state government, security agencies and the Indian embassy in Lisbon.
“…the central government in exercise of powers conferred on it under section 9 (2) of the Citizenship Act 1955 and rules made there under, determines that Shri Caetano Rosario Silva resident of Goa ceased to be a citizen of India from the date he registered his birth with the central registry of births, marriages and deaths of Lisbon as Portuguese national w.e.f 21.07.2010,” says the order by Anand Joshi, under secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs, foreigners division, Government of India.
The Home Ministry order cites Section 9(1) of the Citizenship Act that one ceases to be a citizen of India if he or she “by naturalization, registration or otherwise voluntarily acquires, or has at any time between January 26, 1950 and the commencement of the Act in 1955, voluntarily acquired citizenship of another country.”
