Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goans for Goa (GFG) has criticised the recent letter issued by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to the FRRO, calling on Goans who have acquired Portuguese citizenship to declare their status and remove their names from the electoral roll. The NGO said the move overlooks the complex legal and procedural issues involved, making the exercise ineffective unless the government first introduces specific corrective measures.
GFG president Kennedy Afonso said the organisation had already highlighted these intricacies during the passport revocation and OCI eligibility crisis two years ago, when many Goans faced document-related hardships. The NGO even approached the High Court to secure relief for affected citizens.
Afonso said the CEO and the government must first understand the five different categories of Goans who have obtained Portuguese citizenship. While the first category — those who already surrendered their Indian passports and were removed from the electoral roll — is known to the government, he said three major categories remain unidentified: those who obtained Portuguese passports but did not surrender Indian documents, those who registered their births in Portugal and hold a BI identity card without applying for a passport, and elderly citizens who registered only to benefit their children.
He said people in these groups will not come forward due to fear of legal consequences unless the government grants an amnesty period that allows them to regularise their status or reclaim Indian citizenship.
GFG further noted that the FRRO does not have records of individuals from these categories, making the CEO’s request for names impractical. The NGO said it is disappointing that despite repeated warnings, the NRI Commission and the government have not acted on the issue.
