Whose Goa? Projection of Goan Identity in Rival Discourses

In 1947, India was granted independence from the British government. The newly established Indian government demanded that the Portuguese government did the same with respect to Portuguese Indian territories (Goa, Daman and Diu). However the Portuguese government refused to grant independence, arguing that these Indian territories were an inherent part of Portugal and Goan Indians were Portuguese as a result of a long interaction throughout the history. A long diplomatic contest between Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India, and António de Oliveira Salazar, the prime minister of Portugal, over the territories reveals that different official discourses on the conception of Goan identity existed at that time, and that both sides claimed Goa as an issue of national interest. The debate between the two statesmen, however, also carries a symbolic meaning by representing a stubborn attempt to assert and bolster nationalist ideologies. Last but not least, the discussion initiated by the ‘debate’ among scholars, points to the presence of polarized opinions regarding Goa and its people in cultural, scholar and political discourse that remains present even today.