->ElliAWB at 18:18, 2 October 2021

2021-10-02T18:18:42Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Erasmo Sequeira
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =[[Goa]], [[Portuguese India]]
| residence =
| death_date = {{Death date|1997|7|16||df=y}}
| death_place =
| office1 = [[17th Lok Sabha|Member of Parliament<br>Lok Sabha]]
| term_start1 = 1967
| term_end1 = 1977
| predecessor1 = [[Mukund Shinkre]]
| successor1 = [[Eduardo Faleiro]]
| constituency1 = [[South Goa (Lok Sabha constituency)|South Goa]]
| party =
| parents = [[Jack Sequeira]]
| spouse =
| children =
| relatives =
| website =
| footnotes =
| date = |
| year = |
| source =
}}
'''Erasmo Jesus de Sequeira''' (died 16 July 1997) was an Indian [[politician]], [[social worker]] and [[Member of Parliament|parliamentarian]] from [[Goa]]. He represented the [[Marmagoa parliamentary constituency]] twice from 1967–1977. He has been described as a "man of letters"; and was known for his fluency in many languages.<ref name="lok_sabha">{{cite web|url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls11/ses5/03230797.htm|title=XI LOK SABHA DEBATES, Session V (Monsoon)|date=23 July 1997|publisher=parliamentofindia.nic.in|accessdate=3 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615105305/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls11/ses5/03230797.htm|archive-date=15 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Family==
Erasmo de Sequeria was the son of [[Dr. Jack de Sequeira]] and Lilia Margarida de Gouveia Pinto. His father was the founder of the [[United Goans Party]] and also the first Leader of Opposition in the [[Goa assembly]]. He is popularly known as the [[Goa Opinion Poll#Honours|Father of the Opinion Poll]] in Goa.

Sequeira married Maureen and they had three children Dr Amita de Sequeira, Dr Anil de Sequeira and [[Aisha de Sequeira]].<ref name="AishaandRoy">{{cite web|url=http://www.aishaandroy.com/home.asp|title=About Aisha and Roy|accessdate=10 June 2009}}</ref>

==Role in the Goa Opinion Poll==
The [[United Goans Party]] was the main proponent of a referendum on the issue of merger of [[Goa]] with [[Maharashtra]]. During the [[Goa Opinion Poll]], Jack and Erasmo were the leaders of the anti-merger faction.<ref name="knol">{{cite web|url=http://knol.google.com/k/bospam/goa-the-merger-issue-and-the-opinion/20fjpvnzop03s/4# |title=GOA: The Merger Issue and the Opinion Poll of 1967 |last=BosPam |date=16 January 2009 |accessdate=10 June 2009 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Sequeira pasted posters in the dead of the night. He conducted meetings with other activists to plan strategies. He did the legwork that his father required of him.<ref name="Maria_Couto">{{cite web|url=http://thestateofgoa.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html|title=CHIP OF A BLOCK OF GOEMCAR GRANITE|last=Couto|first=Maria Aurora|author2=Xanno Moidecar|date=28 April 2007|accessdate=4 June 2009}}</ref>

==Political career==
Erasmo de Sequeira was the leader of the [[United Goans (Sequiera Group)|United Goans Party (Sequeira Group)]]; which was founded by his father. He represented [[Marmagoa parliamentary constituency]] twice between 1967-1977. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Estimates Committee between 1968-69.<ref name="lok_sabha"/>

During his term as a Member of Parliament, he advocated greater links with [[Latin America]]. He was made the leader of Parliamentary delegations to foreign countries many times; especially when the delegations were sent to [[Spanish Language|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] speaking countries.<ref name="ugp_demise"/>

Although Erasmo was a member of the Opposition, he was known to be on good terms with [[Prime Minister]] [[Indira Gandhi]]. During the [[The Emergency (India)|Emergency]], a large number of Opposition leaders were arrested. Erasmo de Sequeria was a notable exception. He became the Opposition's voice in the Parliament.<ref name="ugp_demise">{{cite web|url=http://www.mail-archive.com/goanet@lists.goanet.org/msg11147.html|title=UGP DEMISE|last=Faleiro|first=Valmiki|publisher=goanet|accessdate=4 June 2009}}</ref>

On one occasion, [[Indira Gandhi]] invited Sequeira to join the Congress. She assured him that he would be made a Deputy Minister. When he refused, she offered to make him a Minister of State. He refused again, saying that he aimed higher. Indira told him that she could not make him a Cabinet Minister due to his lack of experience. Sequeira replied that he did not want that either. When Indira finally asked Sequeira what he wanted he replied, "Your chair, madam, your chair!".<ref name="ugp_demise"/>

===Second split in UGP===
In 1977, Sequeira joined hands with the [[Bharatiya Lok Dal]], headed by [[Charan Singh]]. He did this without consulting his party members. The party members were enraged, causing the UGP (Sequiera group) to split into two groups: [[United Goans (Sequiera Group)|UGP (Sequeria Group)]] and [[United Goans (Naik Group)|UGP (Naik Group)]]. He lost the next parliamentary election to [[Eduardo Faleiro]] of UGP-N in March 1977. In the next Assembly elections, UGP-S managed to win just three seats as compared to UGP-N, which won 10 seats.<ref name="ugp_demise"/>

==Writer==
Sequeira was a prolific writer of letters. He was fluent in many Indian and foreign languages. His publications include ''My Country and Me''. He authored many poems in English.<ref name="lok_sabha"/> He also started a paper called the [[Goa Monitor]] in 1977.<ref name="cyril_dcunha">{{cite web|url=http://www.colaco.net/3/ebook2.pdf|title=Behind The News: Voices From Goa's Press|last=D'Cunha|first=Cyril|date=11 October 2003|publisher=www.colaco.net|accessdate=10 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527210113/http://www.colaco.net/3/ebook2.pdf|archive-date=27 May 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Death==
Erasmo de Sequeira died in Goa on 16 July 1997.<ref name="lok_sabha"/>

==See also==
* [[United Goans Party]]
* [[Jack de Sequeira]]
* [[Goa Opinion Poll]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sequeira, Erasmo}}
[[Category:4th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:1997 deaths]]
[[Category:5th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Goa]]
[[Category:People from Mormugao]]
[[Category:United Goans Party politicians]]
[[Category:Bharatiya Lok Dal politicians]]
[[Category:Janata Party politicians]]

Erasmo de Sequeira - Revision history

->ElliAWB at 18:18, 2 October 2021