Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Sep 9: Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai stated on Sunday that the Christian population in Goa has decreased, while the Muslim population has increased. Speaking at an event held at a church in Panaji, Pillai, a senior BJP leader, said that the Christian population in Goa has dropped to 25% from the earlier 36%.

"I spoke to a senior priest and mentioned that the percentage of the Catholic community has reduced to 25%, whereas the Islamic community has grown to 12% from the earlier 3%," Pillai said.

The Governor suggested that the Christian community should "conduct a positive study" to understand this demographic shift.

Later, at another event, Pillai clarified that his earlier remarks referred to "brain drain," not the demography of any specific community.

"I have noticed certain media outlets misinterpreting my statement. I wasn’t commenting on the demography or targeting any particular community," Pillai clarified.

He explained that the number of Catholics in Goa has decreased over the years, attributing this to migration rather than other factors.

"When community leaders, including priests, visited me, I referred to some news articles on this topic and encouraged them to study it. I believe the decline is mainly due to brain drain," Pillai added.