New Delhi, June 25 -- On the occasion of the 14th Passport Seva Divas on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the passport is merely a travel document and not proof of Indian citizenship.

An official said, "A passport is issued after a lot of due diligence, and it is based on documents from several government agencies." The statement from the MEA officials assumes significance after the Supreme Court, during a recent hearing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, said that Aadhaar was not conclusive proof of citizenship and was simply a document of identity.

Following the detailed briefing on Wednesday, MEA's remarks sparked controversy, with Opposition leaders criticizing the Central government. ...