‘Which document proves citizenship?’: Opposition slams MEA's passport remark, calls it ‘absurd’

FOllowing the ministry of outside affairs' elucidation on passport non existence trial impression of citizenship, Opposition leaders took a swipe at the Centre. While some pointed out that passports could only be issued to Indian citizens, others jibed at the BJP-led NDA government.Highlighting the MEA officials' statement on Tuesday, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal asked which document would prove citizenship. “MEA June 24, 2026 : “A passport is a travel document, and not a document of citizenship.” Which document then is proof of citizenship?” Sibal asked in a post on X. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra quipped that it “seem(s) that the only proof of Indian citizenship today is to be both Hindu and a BJP voter”. “Nothing else will do,” Moitra added.‘Confused foreign policy’, ‘absurd’Referring to the MEA statement as “absurd”, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Aaditya Thackeray questioned the verification before passport issuance and further asked whether the document is issued to non-Indians.“If the MEA believes Passport is not a document of citizenship: 1) What do the police verify before granting a passport? 2) Does our country give passports as travel documents to non Indians as well?,” Thackeray said in a post on X. He further asked whether the MEA statement would now “create doubts in the minds of other countries, of whether non Indians get Indian Passports as a travel document.” “Beyond its very confused foreign policy, how much more absurd can the MEA become?” the Sena UBT MP said.Rajya Sabha MP Sibal claimed that in this case, if the Election Commission's booth level officer (BLO) doubts his citizenship, he could be deprived of his vote. “BLO can doubt my citizenship. Deprive me of my vote, Result - BJP wins the election. Over to Supreme Court!” Sibal added in his post.The Congress's Kerala unit, in a satirical post, hit out at the usage of identification documents. “Aadhaar is a card. PAN is for cooking. Voter ID is for showing, not voting. Income Tax Return is for returning your income. Election affidavit is for creative writing. And Modi is a joke!” the party said on X.Also Read | If not a passport, then what? MEA statement reignites citizenship debateWhat did the MEA say in its clarification?The MEA clarified that the passport is a travel document, while highlighting measures incorporated into new chip-based e-passports, such as biometric data, to boost global acceptance and reduce the risk of fraud.The clarification was issued on Tuesday (June 24), on the occasion of Passport Seva Divas. The officials said the passport remains a travel document, and not a document of citizenship, as it attests the nationality of Indians when they are abroad. “A passport is issued after a lot of due diligence, and it is based on documents from several government agencies,” an official said.