Tharoor calls for legislative overhaul to end passport-citizenship confusion
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday urged the government to amend the legal framework to make both the passport and the Aadhaar card valid and conclusive proofs of Indian citizenship, unless explicitly cancelled or withdrawn by the state. His remarks come amid a controversy triggered by the Ministry of External Affairs' statement that a passport is a travel document, not conclusive proof of citizenship.
Tharoor, a former minister of state for external affairs, argued that the current position creates a legal paradox. He noted that citizens undergo rigorous police verification and document checks to obtain a passport, yet the state declares the document does not prove citizenship. He asked, if a passport does not establish citizenship, then what does?
Proposal for visually distinct Aadhaar for non-citizens
Tharoor acknowledged a critical administrative hurdle: Aadhaar is currently issued based on 182 days of local residence, not nationality, and is held by both citizens and non-citizen residents. To address this, he proposed that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) introduce a visually distinct Aadhaar card with a diagonal red stripe for non-citizens. This would allow the state to mandate that carrying a standard citizen's Aadhaar or a valid passport is compulsory and sufficient proof of citizenship for all Indian nationals.
He said this dual-document policy would streamline domestic verification, eliminate arbitrary bureaucratic challenges during electoral revisions, and provide every Indian with absolute legal certainty regarding their identity.
Background of the controversy
The controversy erupted on June 25, 2026, after MEA officials stated that a passport is a travel document, not proof of citizenship. Government sources cited Section 20 of the Passports Act, 1967, which allows issuance of passports to non-citizens in public interest. The opposition alleged that groundwork is being done to arbitrarily deny citizenship rights to those who disagree with the ruling dispensation.
Tharoor criticized the government's defense as a distinction without difference, meaningless to the average citizen. He emphasized that the Supreme Court has already ruled that Aadhaar is only proof of identity and residence, not citizenship, leaving millions in administrative limbo.
Tharoor's proposal aims to end the fatuous controversy once and for all through a common-sense legislative overhaul.
