RTI activist seeks proof of PM Modi's citizenship, files plea

File Pic

Amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, an RTI activist from Kerala has filed a petition to know if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an Indian citizen, Deccan Chronicle has reported.

Joshy Kalluveettil, a resident of Chalakudy in Thrissur district of Kerala, submitted an RTI (Right to Information) query to a public information officer to inquire if PM Modi is an Indian citizen, and if so, does he have the documents to prove it.

A top official of the Chalakudy municipality told the newspaper that the query has been forwarded to the office of the Central Public Information Officer in New Delhi.

Joshy, who is also an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker, claimed that he hasn’t done it to get publicity but for public interest, and the concerns of thousands of people about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“As possession of a passport or Aadhar card is not sufficient to prove citizenship, people are fearful. I am keen to know whether the prime minister possesses a unique document that makes him an Indian citizen,” Joshy told the publication.

He said people are anxious that CAA will make them vulnerable to harassment by officials, even if they were born in India, but don’t have the documents to prove it. “If the birth certificate is made mandatory to prove citizenship, a majority of those who were born prior to the 1970s will be in trouble as they might not have it,” he said.

Joshy said the officials were initially reluctant to admit his application and even mocked him saying who doesn’t know that Narendra Modi is the prime minister of India.