TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Former PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has demanded that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should stop ruling the state with Portuguese citizens, even as he pooh poohed the allegations made by the Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva that the Union Home Minister acted on political pressure.
A day after the Union Home Ministry declared that Caitu has ceased to be an Indian citizen, Churchill expressed surprise that the BJP which had in the past opposed the arrival of Portuguese ship in Goa is now running the government with two MLAs with Portuguese citizenship. “This is totally surprising and unbecoming of a political party which had raised a hue and cry over the arrival of a Portuguese ship to Goa. I would like to tell Parrikar that he should stop running his government with Portuguese citizens. The Union Home Ministry’s decision has proved to the whole world that the BJP is running the government with two Portuguese citizens”, he asserted.
He told the media that there was inordinate delay on the part of the Union Home Ministry to give its ruling in the citizenship case. “Such matters ought to be decided on top most priority since it involves the question of foreign citizens”, he added.
When his attention was drawn to the accusations of the Benaulim MLA, attributing the Home Minister’s decision to political pressure, Churchill shot back “where is the question of applying political pressure on anyone. My letter to Mani Shankar Aiyar only called for justice. My letter does not ask anyone to decide the case in a particular direction. I had written the letter to the Rajya Sabha MP because there was inordinate delay on part of the Union Home Ministry to dispose of the complaint filed by John Fernandes”, Churchill added.
