Indian passport holders may get voting rights by 2014: PM

New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Indian passport holders living
abroad could get voting rights by the time of next General
elections in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
indicated Friday.
Inaugurating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations here,
Singh said he recognises the "legitimate desire" of Indians
living abroad to exercise their franchise and to have a say in
who governs India.
"We are working on this issue and I sincerely hope that
they will get a chance to vote by the time of the next regular
general elections," Singh told the gathering of 1,500 overseas
Indians from 40 countries.
"In fact, I would go a step further and ask why more
overseas Indians should not return home to join politics and
public life as they are increasingly doing in business and
academia," he said.
Officials later said the voting rights could be extended
to Indian passport holders and those having Persons of Indian
Origin (PIO) cards will not be eligible for it.
"We seek the active involvement of the overseas Indian
communities in accelerating the pace of our economic and
social development. In this context, it is important that we
make efforts to connect the second generation of overseas
Indians with their ancestral heritage and involve them
actively in India's march forward," he said.
Lamenting that investments by Indian diaspora in India
were low, the Indian Prime Minister asked them to take a
"careful look" at the country of their origin which is one of
the top investment destinations. PTI