Amid CAA bickering, Goa CM to meet Archbishop

Panaji, Feb 12 (IANS) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that he had sought an appointment with Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao, amid attacks by BJP MLAs on the religious figure who on February 8 had slammed the CAA, calling it "divisive" and "discriminatory".

When asked if he was likely to meet the Archbishop, Sawant told reporters in Panaji on Wednesday: "I will get an appointment with the Archbishop tomorrow or the day after. I have informed him".

Sawant, however, dodged direct questions from the media, as to whether he would raise the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act during his meeting with the religious figure, who wields influence among significant population of Catholics in the coastal state.

"I am going to meet him," Sawant said, when asked about the possibility of the CAA being discussed at the meet.

On February 8, in a media statement, Ferrao had urged the central government to withdraw the CAA and had also slammed the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.

Reacting to the Archbishop's statement, a number of BJP leaders including Catholic MLAs had slammed the comment, urging him to not mix religion with politics. Catholics account for nearly 26 per cent of the state's 1.5 million population.