NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday criticised the Centre over the reported cancellation of Telangana CM Revanth Reddy’s proposed US tour, alleging that travel permissions were being granted selectively.Kharge said chief ministers visit countries such as the US and UK to engage with the Indian diaspora and explore investment opportunities for their states. He said a large number of NRIs from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh live in the US and could be potential investors in their home states.“When these individuals wish to invest back home or establish small-scale industries, they naturally approach the leadership,” Kharge said, arguing that such engagements could bring capital into states, create jobs and strengthen the national economy.Kharge alleged that the Centre was deliberately blocking such efforts because it wanted investments to be routed through the central government rather than allowing states to engage directly with potential investors.Calling the approach “fundamentally wrong”, Kharge said, “Denying travel permission in such a manner is deeply unfair,” and strongly condemned the Centre’s decision.MEA denied permissionOn Friday, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said political clearance was denied for Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the United States, saying the programme submitted for the trip was not considered appropriate to the office he holds and the purpose of the visit.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his briefing said visits by chief ministers and other dignitaries are assessed by the ministry before political clearance is granted. Revanth Reddy’s US Trip Cancelled After MEA Denies Clearance, Telangana Delegation Goes Ahead”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,” Jaiswal said.“The programme proposed, in such cases, should 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,” he said.Jaiswal, however, clarified that the Centre had granted political clearance for Reddy’s visit to the United Kingdom.”Incidentally, let me also tell you that clearance was given for his visit to the United Kingdom,” he said.
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Reddy is currently in London as part of an official TelanganaRising delegation. He was scheduled to travel to the US after his UK engagements and return to Hyderabad on August 30.According to the Telangana CMO, Reddy will now return to Hyderabad on August 23 instead of travelling to Boston.
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