Goa Forward Party President and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai returned to Goa on Saturday after receiving the International Politician of the Year Award at the Asian UK Business Meet & Awards 2026 and Global Health Awards 2026, held at the House of Commons in London and hosted by WBR Corp UK Limited.
Sardesai was welcomed by party workers on his return to Goa following his visit to the United Kingdom, where he also interacted with members of the Goan diaspora.
Dedicating the recognition to the people of Goa, Sardesai said his interactions with overseas Goans reinforced concerns about preserving the state’s identity, culture and resources.
“The Goans living abroad remain emotionally connected to their homeland. They are deeply disturbed by the manner in which Goa is being sold off and its identity diluted. Their concerns are no different from those of Goans living here,” he said.
Sardesai said a Goa Forward-led government would institutionalise engagement with overseas Goans, work towards granting them special status and continue pursuing a solution to the long-pending issue of dual citizenship.
“Goans abroad are not outsiders. They are our brothers and sisters. Successive governments have ignored them and treated them as second-class citizens despite their immense contribution to Goa,” he said.
Referring to the Opinion Poll, Sardesai said Goa’s identity had historically been protected by its people. He alleged that the BJP-led government was accelerating what he described as the “sale of Goa” by allowing land and resources to pass into outside interests.
“The concern among the diaspora is that Goa is being fast-tracked for sale. They want change, and they want Goa to be restored,” he said.
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