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After returning from the United Kingdom on Monday, August 24, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy slammed the Union government for denying permission for his proposed visit to the United States, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of acting “as a Gujarati, not as the Prime Minister of India”.
Addressing the media in Hyderabad, Revanth Reddy questioned the “political angle” cited by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for denying clearance to his US visit. The MEA had cleared his UK visit but denied permission for the US leg of his tour.
Accusing the Union of double standards, the CM pointed out that Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had been granted permission to visit the US and Canada from August 17 to 24 to promote investments in the state under the ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ initiative. “The Union government blocked my tour because it feared it might hinder Gujarat’s development,” he said.
Revanth Reddy said his own US visit was also planned along similar lines as part of the ‘Telangana Rising 2047’ initiative, with a focus on promoting education, sports and investment opportunities in the state.
He said Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief ministers were allowed to undertake foreign tours, while attempts were being made to block his official visits as the Chief Minister of Telangana. He called the episode an insult to the people of Telangana and an instance of political bias.
“The Union government is a union of states. This move is against the spirit of federalism,” he said.
Denying media reports citing government sources that he had planned meetings with US Vice President JD Vance and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani without informing the MEA, Revanth Reddy said the entire itinerary had been provided to the Union government.
“I would have to take a prior appointment to meet a mayor or vice president. It’s not some ward councillor to just drop by their office. The Indian High Commission has to clear every meeting,” the CM said.
He added that during his UK visit, he met representatives of Oxford and Cambridge universities and the London School of Economics to propose setting up offshore campuses or short-term programmes in Telangana. He said he had similar plans to hold discussions with institutions including MIT, Harvard University, Virginia Tech and Northeastern University during his proposed US visit.
“This is not a personal insult to Revanth Reddy. This is an injustice inflicted upon the four crore people of Telangana. The Union government obstructing the Telangana Chief Minister’s tour amounts to opposing Telangana’s development. Our MPs will raise this issue in Parliament,” he said.