The government clarified that passports have never served as proof of citizenship, citing the Passports Act 1967 and a Bombay High Court ruling from 2013.

The passport remains a travel document, and not a document of citizenship, as it attests the nationality of Indians when they are abroad | India News

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray described the statement as ‘absurd’.