The Indian passport is a travel document, not a proof of citizenship, an official from the Ministry of External Affairs has said, triggering outrage as netizens questioned the absurdity of the logic and sparking fears of denying voting rights.
According to The Hindu, on Wednesday, June 24, the official said that the “purpose of the Indian passport is to help Indians transit and travel through foreign ports and territories, and it should not be compared with other documents that are used to establish citizenship rights.”
Even though the passport is issued only to citizens, it is not a document that establishes citizenship, officials said, according to the Indian Express.
The MEA official reportedly made this statement ahead of the Passport Divas, while briefing about India's rapidly expanding passport and mobility ecosystem.
Reacting to the MEA’s statement, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal insinuated that the latest clarification is aimed at depriving people of vote and helping the BJP win in elections.
“Which document then is proof of citizenship? BLO can doubt my citizenship. Deprive me of my vote. Result: BJP wins the election.” He further threatened to challenge the MEA on this in the Supreme Court.
Similarly, TMC MP Saket Gokhale pointed out that according to the Union government, none of the documents – Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, Driving Licence, or Birth Certificate (unless the person was born before 1 July 1987) – are being considered as proof of Citizenship. He alleged that the BJP government is paving the way for the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
According to the MP, the BJP government is conducting the Special Intensive Revision across the country by declining to accept the government IDs as valid proof of citizenship. “Modi-Shah and their poodle Gyanesh Kumar at ECI are conducting the SIR across India. When you’re asked to prove your citizenship, what document will you show? You just saw the list. None of them will work. You will then be deleted as a voter, and your citizenship will be doubtful.”
“When the govt asks you to ‘prove you’re Indian’, remember who’s actually deciding your citizenship: Modi, Shah, and their hand-picked Election Commission. This is the BIGGEST DANGER facing our country. To cling on to power by manipulating elections, Modi-Shah will even delete you as a voter & then strip off your citizenship,” (sic) Saket wrote on X.
He further alleged that the BJP is engaging in horse trading to buy MPs from the Opposition parties to increase the BJP's strength to a two-thirds majority and change the Constitution. A day earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh made the same allegation.
Lyricist Javed Akhtar said, “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.”