Revanth Reddy cancels US visit as Centre denies clearance due to lack of 'political angle'

The denial of political clearance for Reddy's US visit is the latest in a series of such denials.

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday cancelled the United States (US) leg of his two-nation visit after the Union government denied him clearance, even as he underlined that issues concerning nation-building and the future of the youth should be kept above political considerations. His office said Reddy, who is in the United Kingdom (UK), will cut it short and return to Hyderabad from London on Sunday.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy. (PTI FILE)

Reddy said the objective of the US visit was to bring some of the world’s leading educational institutions to Congress-ruled Telangana and create opportunities for young people to access high-quality education, skills and training. “I have always believed we should all think beyond politics and elections when it comes to nation-building and the future of the youth,” he said. He said the Telangana Rising initiative would continue to focus on building the state’s economic and human resource capabilities irrespective of political hurdles.

The denial of political clearance for Reddy's US visit is the latest in a series of such denials. In 2019, the external affairs ministry denied the then-Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal permission to visit Denmark. The ministry refused the go-ahead for his party colleague and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to attend the Paris Olympics. In 2018, the then-Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for refusing clearances to state ministers to travel abroad to raise funds after floods.

There is a grey area regarding clearance for foreign visits, which are unlikely to be cleared if applications are made without the requisite approvals and formalities. Requests for overseas visits of chief ministers are first sent to the external affairs ministry for political clearance, and the Union home ministry and the Cabinet Secretariat.

The external affairs ministry cleared the UK leg of Reddy's visit, but permission for the US visit was denied while he led a delegation in London.

Reddy's office said the ministry cited the lack of clearance “from a political angle” while communicating its decision. It added the US visit was aimed primarily at exploring partnerships with leading global educational and skills institutions and attracting them to Telangana.

Reddy was scheduled to visit Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Virginia Tech.

Reddy directed officials in his delegation to proceed with the proposed US programme and conclude the planned Memoranda of Understanding and partnership agreements with educational institutions. The state government intends to pursue collaborations with premier universities and educational institutions despite Reddy's absence.

Reddy said the Telangana government’s broader objective was to transform Hyderabad into a global knowledge and education hub. He highlighted the role of institutions such as Osmania University, the University of Hyderabad and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in developing Hyderabad as a major centre for human resources and higher education.

Reddy cited Hyderabad Public School as an example of how an educational institution in the city had produced prominent technology and business leaders who achieved global recognition.

He said the establishment of institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, the Indian School of Business, the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad and NALSAR University of Law had strengthened the city’s reputation as an education and talent hub and helped attract major global corporations and their Global Capability Centres. “Now, we will make Hyderabad the home for the world’s greatest education and skills institutions to power our 21st century journey,” Reddy said.

Reddy will continue his engagements in the UK over the next two days, including at Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics, London Business School and the University of London. He is scheduled to meet representatives of sports institutions and organisations involved in skills development and explore partnerships.

Reddy said his objective was to create opportunities for young people in Telangana to access globally recognised education and skills without leaving India.