‘Only proof of Indian citizenship today is to be both Hindu and a BJP voter. Nothing else will do, says Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra
NEW DELHI — The Central government on Thursday asserted that a passport has never been considered proof of citizenship. The assertion came a day after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that an Indian passport serves primarily as a travel and identity document and not as definitive proof of citizenship.
Media reports quoted MEA officials as saying that a passport is not a document that establishes citizenship.
Clarifying the issue further, the Central government gave reference of Section 20 of the Passports Act, 1967, which provides for the issuance of passports to non-citizens. Government said the position was neither new nor a policy change, maintaining that Indian law has never treated a passport as conclusive evidence of citizenship.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar triggered a debate and opposition criticism after making the remarks on the passport at the Passport Seva Divas celebration on Wednesday.
Some leaders put a question mark on the rationale behind describing a passport as a travel document only, rather than proof of citizenship.
“It was not decided yesterday that the passport is not proof of citizenship. It was not even decided in the last 12 years. The passport has never been a proof of citizenship,” a government source said.
The government’s assertion sparked concerns in the country. Opposition leaders and people of eminence expressed shock and wondered what proves citizenship in India.
Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra took a dig at the government over the issue. “It would seem that the only proof of Indian citizenship today is to be both Hindu and a BJP voter. Nothing else will do,” she said on X.
Hyderabad MP and chief of All India Majlis Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) questioned in an X post that “If Passport, Birth Certificate, Aadhaar Card, and Voter ID Card are not documents of citizenship, then which document is required to prove citizenship?”
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also hit out at the government over the matter. “Which document then is proof of citizenship? BLO can doubt my citizenship. Deprive me of my vote. Result: BJP wins the election. Over to the Supreme Court!” he said on X.
Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader had similar questions for the government. He also asked if the government’s position – that passports can also be issued to non-Indians – could undermine foreign nations’ trust in the document.
Lyricist Javed Akhtar termed the MEA clarification “absurd” “The Ministry of External Affairs says that a passport is a document for travel, not the proof of citizenship. Really??? So are they providing this travel document to some people without being totally convinced that this person is an Indian citizen?? It is absurd,” he said on X.
Official sources suggested that the judgments of the Bombay High Court in 2013 have made it clear that a passport is not proof of citizenship.
During the hearing on the Election Commission conducted Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the Supreme Court had observed that the Aadhaar card was not conclusive proof of citizenship, just a document of identity. — With inputs from PTI
