Kochi: A Sri Lankan woman had to wait for 20 years to get Indian citizenship after marrying a Thrissur native Arodi Baiju in 2001.
It was during the 2020 local body polls the matter of Kranthugoda Kankanenkelaani Sujeeva not having voting rights came to the notice of BJP candidate Rasmy V R. She approached BJP state Secretary Nagesh who took up the matter with former Union Minister V Muraleedharan’s office following which the goal was achieved.
Sujeeva got acquainted with Baiju in a garment unit in Muscat and got married in Sri Lanka in 2001. The couple settled down at Chengaloor in Pudukad panchayat in Thrissur in 2004.
Since then she has been renewing her visa to remain in India with husband and son Amrith Krishna, 13.
Thrissur Collector Arjun Pandyan awarded the Citizenship certificate to Sujeeva, 50, who was accompanied by husband Baiju, son Arjun, and Pudukad panchayath member Rasmy.
Talking to the newsskerala.com, Rasmy said that the matter got delayed as Sujeeva had not applied for citizenship in the citizen’s portal.
Rasmy said the next priority is to get a passport for Sujeeva who has been longing to visit her parents in the Island nation.
20 years wait to become Indian
