• Bhupendra Gupta

There was a time when Brigadier Usman was offered the post of Pakistan’s army Chief at the time of partition but he refused saying that India is my country and my ancestors are buried in this land. Instead of becoming Pakistan’s army Chief, he accepted to remain India’s brigadier and became a martyr to save his navy. That was a time of uncertainty, there was danger to life and property but today is a time of peace. Constitutional and regulatory institutions are making the country aware of freedom, in such a time some news surprises and worries as well.

In response to a question in Parliament, it has been told that in the last 10 years, about 15 lakh Indian citizens have renounced the citizenship of the country. What is even more worrying is that the number of Indians seeking asylum in America has increased by 855 percent. It is known that those seeking asylum in America apply for asylum in two ways - those who are called ‘affirmative’ and those who are called ‘defensive’, that is, they appeal for asylum in America from the point of view of security. The Immigrant Annual Flow Report of the US Homeland Security Department shows that in 2023, 41 thousand 330 Indians were included among the applicants, seeking asylum in America, which is 855 percent more than in 2022. What is even more surprising is that half of these applicants are from the state of Gujarat, where prosperity has exploded after 2014. It is important to understand why those Indians have applied for security asylum? Out of 14,570 Indians who applied as refugees in the year 2022, 9,200 have applied for defensive asylum i.e. security asylum. Despite the claims of India’s economy booming, guarantee of security for the common man and propaganda of better opportunities, if 41 thousand 330 citizens are seeking asylum in America and more than 50% of them are seeking asylum for security reasons, then this should be a matter of investigation. What threat can these Indians seeking security asylum feel in the country? Why are half of them coming from the state in which the claims of maximum development are being made?

According to the LPR report, about 28 lakh Indian-born citizens live in the US, which is the second highest number after US citizens born in Mexico. In 2022 alone, 1,28,878 Mexicans, 65,960 Indians, 53,413 Filipinos have been neutralized for US citizenship.

It is generally believed that people take the difficult decision of renouncing their citizenship in search of a secure future in view of economic, educational opportunities and political stability. Out of the 28 lakh 31 thousand 330 Indians living in America, 42 percent Indians are ineligible for American citizenship. Despite this, why are Indian brains taking risks in such large numbers?

Economic migrants from virtually all countries seek opportunities and the magnitude of outflow and inflow reflects the real situation in the country.

In the 10 years in which 15 lakh Indians have applied to renounce citizenship, only 5,220 foreigners have been granted Indian citizenship in the last five years. Out of them, 4,552 i.e. 87% are Pakistanis, 8% Afghans and 2% Bangladeshis. This means that the number of people seeking Indian citizenship is not even 1% of the number of people renouncing Indian citizenship.

According to a report by London’s Henley & Partners, about 7 thousand super rich people may give up Indian citizenship. The government has told the Rajya Sabha that it is unaware of the business background of these people. Indian tax laws, health facilities and investment migration are emerging as new reasons for giving up citizenship. People like Mehul Chowksi have fled in the name of this investment migration.

One reason for renouncing citizenship is that many countries do not accept dual citizenship. The other big reason is that for unhindered travel to other countries, visa free or visa on arrival facility is available in only 60 countries on Indian passport whereas this facility is available in 186 countries on American passport. Foreign citizens born in India are considered OCI (can be registered as Overseas Citizen of India) in India. The Home Ministry has informed the House that today the number of OCI is 1 lakh 90 thousand which was only 300 in 2005. This means that about 8 percent of the Indians renouncing citizenship want to remain connected with the country as OCI.

It is human nature to look for opportunities and aspire for a better life, but when the opportunities start becoming bigger than the country, then it is time to worry.

(The author is the Chairman of Madhya Pradesh Vichar Vibhag)