After CM, Centre declines nod to Punjab Speaker for US visit
Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who was to fly to Louisville city on Saturday, to attend the meet of Speakers of Legislative Bodies from August 4 to 7, got a message online saying he could not be granted political clearance.
A day after the Centre denied chief minister Bhagwant Mann political clearance to visit Paris Olympics to cheer the Indian hockey team on security grounds, it declined permission to Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to travel to Kentucky in the US to attend a conference.
Sandhwan, who was to fly to Louisville city on Saturday, to attend the meet of Speakers of Legislative Bodies from August 4 to 7, got a message online saying he could not be granted political clearance. He claimed that Speakers from opposition-ruled states of Karnataka, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh had also been denied permission to travel abroad, while their counterpart from Meghalaya had been given the clearance.
The Centre had declined permission to Mann, who holds a diplomatic passport, to visit Paris from August 3 to 9 for the Indian hockey team’s quarterfinal match on August 4, saying since the chief minister is a Z-Plus security protectee, it is not possible to arrange his level of security at a short notice.
A source in the Punjab government said the chief minister’s office was informed of the decision Friday evening.
Political clearance for senior political leaders is required from the ministry of external affairs for travelling abroad.
The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has been at loggerheads with the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of delaying the release of the rural development fund, mandi development fund, Samagra Shiksha and health project funds.
Mann had on Friday congratulated the Indian hockey contingent for a historic win over Australia in the ongoing Paris Olympic Games. India on Friday beat the formidable team for the first time since 1972 by 3-2. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace as India beat the Tokyo Games silver medallist and nemesis Australia in its final pool match.
“It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that India defeated Australia by 3-2. Harmanpreet Singh led the team to victory by scoring two goals in this important match,” Mann had said in his congratulatory message to the team.