London: The euphoria over the scheme to grant dual citizenship to overseas Indians seems to have evaporated with a move to inject the controversial clause that requires applicants to sign an oath of allegiance to India, a senior Indian Barrister said.

Barrister Bhasker Ghorpade said an Indian taking the British citizenship has to "bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors" according to law.

"Allegiance and protection are said to be correlative duties. It is the tie which binds the British citizens to the Crown and in return for the diplomatic protection by the Crown."

How could one owe allegiance to two countries at the same time? he asked.

According to reports, a Parliamentary panel studying the draft dual citizenship Bill appears to be in two minds about the oath of allegiance clause following objection from the High Power Committee on Indian Diaspora that had recommended dual citizenship.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had announced in January 2003 that global Indians settled in eight countries – the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy – would be granted dual citizenship after an amendment in the Citizenship Act of 1955.

The Vajpayee Cabinet ratified the decision in May. Subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who heads the Home Ministry steering the Bill, announced that the new law would be ready by the end of this year.

PTI