Dual citizenship issue in Goa needs to be resolved quickly: Salman Khurshid

Panaji: Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday said the dual citizenship issue in Goa should have been settled by now as it is a matter of 'great anxiety' for people.

Dual citizenship is a sensitive matter in Goa, an erstwhile Portuguese colony, and Khurshid raking up the matter indicates that Congress may raise it in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji after holding meetings with local Congress leaders, Khurshid said people should cast their vote wisely as the destiny of the coming generations depends on the choice they make in elections.

"I am shocked that the matter about the dual citizenship and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card is not settled yet. These are the issues of great anxiety. A majority of people in Goa have indicated that they prefer dual citizenship," he said.

Earlier in the day, Khurshid held a series of meetings with local Congress leaders to discuss preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Khurshid said he was sent to Goa to get in touch with colleagues in Congress and the common people.

"You must remember that the destiny of your children is decided by your vote. We must be clear in mind about who we are choosing in elections," he said.

Dual citizenship is a sensitive issue in Goa where some people have cancelled their Indian passports and taken Portuguese citizenship to get employment in European Union countries.

Khurshid also said the demand for reserving some assembly segments in Goa for tribal people be looked into.

"Tribal communities are suffering in the absence of such reservations. It is a matter of social justice," he said.

Notably, as of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa assembly is reserved for the Scheduled Tribe community, while one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) community.

The ST community has been demanding that at least four out of the 40 seats in the Goa assembly be reserved for them during the 2027 state polls.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and requested him to look into the ST seat reservation demand.

Khurshid recalled that the then Congress-led government at the Centre had written to the Goa government in 2011 asking it to declare wildlife sanctuaries as a tiger reserve.

"The High Court (now) has spoken specifically about the tiger reserve. On June 28, 2011, the letter was written to then CM Digambar Kamat to declare wildlife sanctuaries as a tiger reserve but that has not happened till now," the ex-Union minister claimed.