PANJIM: Former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro on Saturday stated that he will not join any political party and that he is not interested in contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He also said his holding a press conference has nothing to do with the polls.
When asked whether he is interested in contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from South Goa Parliamentary constituency, Faleiro said, “I have not decided to join any political party. I have no interest to contest as on today. I am writing my third book ‘Better Goa’ and I will take a decision at an appropriate time.”
However, when asked whether he would sit at home during election time, he said, “I will participate in the elections.” Faleiro refused to divulge whether he would campaign for a political party or an individual in the elections. “Right now I have resigned from all political parties and from all posts,” he said.
Faleiro said, “When I took up the issue of dual citizenship, many Goans asked me whether I will contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.”
The former MP said that he had no regrets of joining the TMC and that he quit after he felt that it was not tenable for him to continue in the party.
“My joining TMC was not a wrong decision because as an MP, I raised 40-odd issues in Rajya Sabha all pertaining to burning issues of Goa, including the Mhadei river dispute,” he said.
Meanwhile, Faleiro has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to grant dual citizenship to Goans.
Addressing a press conference at Panjim on Saturday, Faleiro said that in Puducherry, half of the population hold dual citizenship of both, France and India. “If Puducherry can have dual citizenship, why can’t Goa have dual citizenship? he asked, adding that it was an understanding between the governments of India and France that a citizen of India in Puducherry, a former French colony, would have this facility.
Releasing the copies of the letter written to the Prime Minister, Faleiro said, “It is my humble suggestion that a similar facility should be extended to Goa and Goans should be able to hold dual citizenship of India and Portugal. Today a large section of Goan diaspora are working abroad and contributing in a big way to Goa’s economy in terms of remittances of foreign exchange to India.”