Passport in the spotlight

A matter long ignored is once again in the spotlight: proof of citizenship. The words, “We, The People of India...”, enshrined in the Preamble, lose much of their meaning if citizenship itself is uncertain. The idea of living in, serving, and contributing to the nation is what binds citizens together. Yet, many now face an unsettling question: can they conclusively prove that they are citizens of India? Having lived, worked, and raised families, some still find themselves without a universally accepted document establishing their citizenship. The government’s ‘inability’ to clearly identify a single document that definitively establishes one’s citizenship and connection to the nation is frustrating.

Aagrah Poudel,

Siliguri, West Bengal

An official position attributed to the Ministry of External Affairs — that a passport is merely a travel document and not proof of citizenship — appears illogical. A non-citizen cannot be issued an Indian passport; only an Indian citizen can legally obtain one. An Indian passport is issued and validated by the Government of India. Since India does not permit dual citizenship, the claim that a passport is only a travel document and not evidence of citizenship is difficult to reconcile with these facts.

Dave James,

Coimbatore

It is unclear whether the Government of India, led by the top leader, is using the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise to weed out duplicate/bogus voters or selectively remove voters perceived as non-BJP supporters. Now, MEA officials have ‘clarified’ — perhaps after consulting a dictionary — that a passport is merely a travel document. If so, the Election Commission or the Home Ministry must clarify what documents conclusively establish citizenship. Until then, should all of us be treated as ‘Resident Non-Indians’ (RNI)? If the real objective of the SIR exercise is to help the ruling party secure successive victories by pruning voters unlikely to support it, then the revised enrolment form should honestly include a column asking: “Whom did you vote for in the last election?”

N. Nagarajan,

Secunderabad