Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Sunday said that the Christian population declined compared to the rising Muslim population in Goa. During an event at a local church in Kochi, Pillai stated, “The Christian population in Goa has decreased from 36% to 25%, while the Muslim population has increased from 3% to 12%.”
He added, “I spoke to the Archbishop of Goa and told him that the percentage of Catholic community members has come down to 25% while the percentage of Islamic community members has gone up to 12% from the earlier 3%.” Pillai suggested that community members “conduct a positive study” to better understand these changes.
His remarks quickly sparked controversy, prompting Pillai to clarify his statements. “I have seen certain media houses creating controversy out of my statement. I was not talking about the demography or any particular community,” Pillai explained later at another event.
He elaborated, “What I meant was brain drain. The number of Catholic members in Goa has decreased over the years. When the community leaders, including the priests, visited me, I referred to certain news articles related to this. I asked them to study it. I believe this trend is mainly due to brain drain.”
Pillai emphasized that his intent was not to create discord or target any specific community but to encourage a constructive examination of the evolving demographics in light of socio-economic trends.
