Trinis to be citizens of India

Within months certain nationals of Trinidad and Tobago could also hold citizenship of India, according to an official of the Government of India speaking yesterday at a media conference at the Indian High Commission. Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs permanent secretary, Krishna Kumar, and High Commissioner Virendra Gupta, met reporters to promote a meeting of Diasporal Indians in Mumbai next January, called “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.” The yardstick on who would be eligible for citizenship include persons who have had recent contact with India, Indian descendants and people of inter-racial marriages. Kumar said that India had recently amended its India Act 1955 to grant dual citizenship to persons of Indian origin who resided in any of 16 approved countries. He remarked that the Indian Diaspora consisted of 20 to 25 million persons living across 110 countries. So far the schedule of eligible countries did not include Trinidad and Tobago, but Kumar was optimistic it could be included in an enlargened list in the near future.

“I’d imagine we are talking about a few months.” Gupta said there was a strong demand in the Indian Diaspora for dual citizenship, saying Kumar would take back to India the strong sense that Trinidad and Tobago should also be included. Dual citizenship, said Gupta, could let the Diaspora help build links between the host countries of people of Indian origin, and India. “I don’t think this should raise any suspicion. We have always worked with the Diaspora.” Kumar agreed, saying: “We don’t see conflicting interests, just constructive engagement. This will strengthen bilateral relationships.” But the offer of dual nationality would only be open to persons of Indian descent. Asked who would be defined as being eligible to apply for Indian nationality, Kumar said four categories of persons were listed on a Indian governmental website.

Asked to outline how you would assess “Indian descent,” Kumar said the Act provided for persons with recent contact with India and those who “came here many years ago.” So, would persons of mixed descent qualify, say a Trinidadian with an Indian father and African mother? Kumar replied: “The law doesn’t insist that it must be a pure line. There is an enabling provision for such people to apply. We would have to see how it would apply in such hypothetical cases. There have been inter-marriages — you would have to disclose that.” But could the granting of Indian citizenship to Indo-Trinidadians disturb the existing balance within cosmopolitan Trinidad and Tobago? Pointing out that India is also a cosmopolitan country, Kumar said: “It is one cosmopolitan country reaching out to another cosmopolitan country.”

He said this move would boost relations betwen the two countries, because even if  Indo-Trinidadians first initiated links to India in say commerce, other TT nationals could follow. “I don’t see it as destabilising,” Kumar said. “Dual citizenship is only available to people of East Indian origin. You feel it is a wedge or a dichotomy being created, but I say no dichotomy or divide is being created.” Gupta said the Indian government did not want to create any divisive tendencies and did not want persons of Indian origin to be disloyal to their host countries. He said the duality would let TT nationals benefit from travel, study, work, commerce and investment in India. The third annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held on January 7 - 9, 2005 in Mumbai and will include participation by India Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairman, Sonia Gandhi.