Wanted to die as an Indian: 94-year-old Andhra woman renounces US citizenship, meets collector, officially becomes Indian
Kondragunta Mahalakshmamma, 94, became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and has lived in the United States for nearly 18 years. Now, she wants to regain her Indian citizenship as the Andhra woman’s last wish was to die as an Indian. A video of her meeting district authorities and urging them to make her an Indian citizen as soon as possible is doing the rounds.Mahalakshmamma is a native of Chinthugumpala village in Chinaganjam mandal of Baputala in Andhra Pradesh. On Wednesday, she appeared before Bapatra district collector J Venkata Murali, accompanied by her son, seeking early processing of her citizenship application.Mahalakshmamma said that after the death of her husband Nagabhushanam, she moved to Petersburg, Virginia, United States, to live with her son Buchiah Choudhary, an oncologist. She obtained U.S. citizenship in July 2000 and has lived there for approximately 18 years.In 2018, she returned to India and settled in her hometown after her son started working at an NRI hospital in Mangalagiri.She said she had renounced her U.S. citizenship and applied for Indian citizenship through an online portal. She told officials she wanted to spend the rest of her life in her home country and wanted to have her final rites performed there.“Garu Collector, I am almost 95 years old. My only wish is to spend my last days in my motherland as an Indian citizen. I want my last rites to be performed in my hometown. I have renounced my US citizenship. Please help me get Indian citizenship at the earliest,” she said. She claimed that if her citizenship was restored, she would respect the Indian constitution and abide by all the laws of the country. She urged authorities to give her the legal right to live out the rest of her life in the country of her birth.The Collector said the application will be processed as per procedure. Once the investigation is completed, a report will be forwarded to the state government, which will then send its recommendations to the Center for citizenship consideration.
