Mr Singh said the NRIs may have voting rights soon

BBC

Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) may be able to vote in the next general elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said.

Mr Singh said it was a “legitimate desire” of Indians living overseas to have a say in who governs the country.

He was speaking at the annual meeting of NRIs, held in the capital, Delhi. The meeting is attended by 1,500 delegates from more than 40 countries.

Four years ago, the government launched an overseas citizenship scheme for the 25 million-strong Indian diaspora.

It allows people of Indian origin who are not Indian nationals most of the same rights as Indian nationals.

However, they are not allowed to vote in Indian elections.

‘Have a say’

“I recognise the legitimate desire of Indians living abroad to exercise their franchise and to have a say in who governs India,” the Times of India website quoted the prime minister as saying.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Mr Singh said.

The prime minister said he was confident that India would return to 9-10% economic growth within a couple of years.

He invited the Indian diaspora to participate in the development of the country.