The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday clarified that political clearance was denied for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the United States, while his visit to the United Kingdom was approved.
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Responding to questions about the Centre’s decision, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said visits by chief ministers and other dignitaries are assessed by the ministry before political clearance is granted.
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“Let me say that the visit of chief ministers, as indeed of other dignitaries, are assessed by the Ministry of External Affairs in order to accord political clearance. The program proposed, in such cases, should be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit," Jaiswal said.
He added that the proposed programme must be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit.
“In this particular case, that was not so in respect of the United States, and therefore the clearance was denied,” Jaiswal said.
Revanth Reddy's US Visit Cancelled
The clarification came after reports that the Centre had denied permission for Reddy’s proposed US visit.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Reddy is currently in London and had planned to travel to the US from there before returning to Hyderabad on August 30.
The CMO said the official “Telangana-Rising” delegation, led by Reddy, had to cancel its US visit after the MEA denied political clearance.
The state government had sought the Centre’s permission for Reddy’s visits to both the UK and the US in accordance with policy and protocol. However, only the UK visit was approved.
Reddy 'Surprised' By Centre's Decision
The CMO said the Centre informed the Telangana government about the denial after the official delegation had reached the UK.
As a result, Reddy will return to Hyderabad from London on August 23 instead of travelling to Boston, the CMO said.
The Chief Minister was reportedly surprised that the US leg of the visit, which was aimed at advancing the Telangana Rising vision, promoting education and contributing to a “developed India”, was stopped for political reasons.
Reddy said the sole purpose of the proposed visit was to bring some of the world’s leading educational institutions to India, Telangana and Hyderabad under the Centre’s new education policy.
According to the Chief Minister, these institutions could help fulfil the aspirations of young people seeking education, skills and training from leading Ivy League and other top global institutions.
