Husain Applies for Overseas Citizen of India Card
Artist MF Husain who recently surrendered his Indian passport following accepting Qatari citizenship has applied for an Overseas Citizen of India card, reported PTI.
“India is my motherland and I simply cannot leave that country. What I have surrendered is just a piece of paper,” Husain was quoted as saying by the local media
“I will continue to travel to India and have applied for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card as Indian law does not permit its citizens to hold dual citizenship. I’m here to fulfill my professional commitments and I’m grateful that Qatar came to my support,” the 95-year-old artist was quoted as saying.
Husain’s decision to forgo Indian citizenship has caused dismay and cynicism among Indians in the Gulf.
An official at the Indian Embassy, who doesn’t want to be identified, however, expressed regret over the entire episode, said report.
“I have seen some of his controversial paintings on the web. I just don’t understand what was the need for him to do such paintings. The entire situation could have been avoided,” he was quoted as saying.
When asked whether the Indian mission had urged him against surrendering his passport in the wake of Home Minister P Chidambaram’s recent plea for him to come back to his home country, Husain replied in the negative.
“She (Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa) is such a gracious lady. I could read her pain from her face when I surrendered the document,” he was quoted as saying.
