Constitution Was Forced On Us: Goa Congress Leader's Comments Triggers Controversy

Congress's South Goa candidate Viriato Fernandes has claimed the Indian Constitution was "forced" on Goa after its liberation from the Portuguese rule in 1961. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant called the comments appalling and said the Congress is a threat to democracy.

Addressing an election meeting on Monday, Fernandes recalled that then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said Goa, which became a state in 1987, will decide its own destiny, but added "this did not happen".

The Congress nominee, a supporter of dual citizenship for Goans who have opted for Portuguese passports, was speaking in South Goa.

Referring to his conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Fernandes said he had told him, "When Goa was liberated in the year 1961, the Indian Constitution was forced upon us." Mr Fernandes was then part of an NGO, 'Goencho Away', which was pressing for dual citizenship for Goans who have opted for Portuguese passports.

"We (during a meeting with Mr Gandhi in a hotel near Panaji) raised 12 demands before Mr Gandhi, and one of the