A bill to amend the Citizenship Act, granting dual citizenship to the people of Indian origin, will possibly be introduced in Parliament during the Budget session, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said in Singapore on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of his four-day official visit, he said the government would need to amend the Citizenship Act as it had proposed to offer dual citizenship to people of Indian origin in January.

The law ministry and the attorney general had advised the government that only the Citizenship Act would need to be amended and not the constitution.

One of the essential ingredients of this particular bill is that a person would be allowed dual citizenship if only the country in which he presently resides permits it, he said.

Answering a question on whether Singapore citizens of Indian origin would be given dual citizenship, he said, ''I have inquired from Singapore and there is no such provision here (in the law)''.

The dual citizenship was proposed during a January meeting of people of Indian origins in New Delhi.

UNI