U.K. visit approved, but Centre denies political clearance for proposed U.S. trip amid planned meetings with top American political figures
Husneara Choudhury :
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the United States has been denied political clearance by the Government of India, with his planned meetings with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani emerging as a key point of contention.
The Centre approved Reddy’s proposed visit to the United Kingdom but declined to grant political clearance for the U.S. leg of his international tour.
Planned Meetings With Vance and Mamdani
The proposed U.S. itinerary included meetings with Vice President JD Vance and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Government sources said the proposed engagements had not been appropriately discussed with the Ministry of External Affairs as part of the required political-clearance process.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said overseas visits by Chief Ministers and other dignitaries are assessed on the basis of the proposed programme, the officeholder’s position and the purpose of the visit.
According to the government’s assessment, the proposed U.S. programme did not meet the required criteria for political clearance.
U.K. Trip Cleared, U.S. Visit Blocked
Reddy’s office had reportedly sought approval for visits to both the United Kingdom and the United States.
While clearance was granted for the U.K. visit, the proposed U.S. trip was not approved. As a result, Reddy cancelled the American leg of his itinerary and returned to India.
The Telangana government has questioned the decision, with the Chief Minister’s camp suggesting that political considerations may have influenced the Centre’s decision. The Union government, however, has maintained that the decision was based on established procedures governing official foreign visits.
Major U.S. Engagements Were on the Agenda
The proposed U.S. itinerary reportedly included several academic, business and community engagements in addition to the planned meetings with American political leaders.
Reddy was scheduled to visit Harvard University and MIT, participate in meetings in Boston and attend a community programme organized by the Indian Overseas Congress (USA) in New York.
The denial of political clearance effectively brought the entire U.S. itinerary to a halt.
Political Controversy Intensifies
The episode has opened a fresh political debate between the Telangana government and the Centre over the approval of overseas visits by state Chief Ministers.
The Telangana government has raised questions over why the U.K. visit was approved while the U.S. visit was rejected. The Centre, meanwhile, has maintained that political clearance is granted only after assessing whether proposed engagements are appropriate to the officeholder’s position and the stated purpose of the visit.
At the heart of the controversy are the proposed meetings with JD Vance and Zohran Mamdani, which have now become a significant point of political discussion surrounding Revanth Reddy’s cancelled U.S. trip.
Source: NDTV
