New Delhi: Senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has taken a swipe at the Union government's position on documents proving Indian citizenship, using satire to question its recent clarification that a passport is not conclusive proof of citizenship.
In a post on X, Sardesai mocked what he suggested could be the government's next administrative claim, drawing a parallel with marriage certificates to ridicule the argument that a passport merely serves a limited purpose and should not be treated as proof of citizenship.
“Recent Announcement: Marriage Certificate is Not A Proof That You Are Married. It’s Just a Document To Show That You Had Attended Your Marriage Ceremony,” he wrote on X.
His remarks came amid an intensifying public debate over the distinction the Centre has drawn between passports and citizenship documents, triggering similar criticism from social media users.
The controversy stems from the Ministry of External Affairs' recent clarification that a passport is only a travel document and has never been regarded under Indian law as the final proof of citizenship. The Centre maintained that the legal framework does not recognise a passport as definitive evidence of citizenship.
The clarification, however, has prompted the Opposition to question what document citizens should rely on to establish their citizenship if a passport is deemed insufficient.
The debate has also been fuelled by the case of R Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph, who said he was facing difficulties in renewing his passport after his name was removed from the electoral rolls. According to Rajagopal, the issue prevented him from travelling to the United States to attend his daughter's wedding. He stated that police verification authorities asked him to produce his voter identity card, only for him to learn that his name had already been deleted from the voters' list. He has since lodged a complaint with the Kolkata Police and has been directed to appear before the Regional Passport Office on July 17. The Editors Guild of India has also strongly protested the developments.