Telangana CM Revanth Reddy says Centre denied US visit permission; MEA explains why
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Telangana CM Revanth Reddy says Centre denied US visit permission; MEA explains why")
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. Photograph: (ANI)
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's planned US visit was cancelled after the Centre denied political clearance, with the MEA saying the proposed programme was not considered appropriate for the purpose of his visit.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will return to Hyderabad from London on August 23 after the Centre denied political clearance for his proposed visit to the United States, the Chief Minister's Office said on Friday.
Reddy had planned to travel to the US from London and return to Hyderabad on August 30. However, the proposed visit was cancelled after the Ministry of External Affairs denied the required political clearance.
"The official TelanganaRising delegation led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been forced to cancel their visit to the United States of America (USA) after the Ministry of External Affairs has denied permission, saying ... clearance from political angle is denied," the CMO release said.
The state government had sought permission for both the UK and US visits in accordance with policy and protocol. While clearance was granted for the UK leg, approval for the US trip was denied after the delegation had already reached Britain.
Reddy will therefore return to Hyderabad instead of travelling to Boston as planned. The CMO said the Chief Minister was shocked by the "political denial" but decided to comply with the Centre's decision.
The Chief Minister had said the US visit was intended to attract leading global educational institutions to Telangana and Hyderabad. His proposed programme included exploring partnerships with Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Virginia Tech.
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"The only purpose of the visit was, as part of the New Education Policy of the Centre, to bring the world's best institutions to India, to Telangana, to Hyderabad," the Chief Minister said.
He said such collaborations could help young people gain access to education, skills and training from leading institutions.
"I have always believed we should all think beyond politics and elections when it comes to nation-building and the future of the youth," Reddy added.
MEA Responds
The Ministry of External Affairs said the proposed US programme was not considered suitable for the office held by Reddy and the purpose of his visit.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ministry assesses proposed visits by Chief Ministers and other dignitaries before granting political clearance.
"Let me say that the visits of Chief Ministers, as with other dignitaries, are assessed by the Ministry of External Affairs to accord political clearance. The programme proposed in such cases should be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit. In this particular case regarding the United States, that was not so, and therefore the clearance was not given," Jaiswal said.
He also confirmed that permission had been granted for the Telangana Chief Minister's visit to the UK.
"Incidentally, let me also tell you that clearance was given for his visit to the United Kingdom," the MEA spokesperson said.
