Telangana CM Reddy slams Modi govt over US travel denial, calls move insult to state’s people
Hyderabad: Chief Minister of India’s Telangana state, A. Revanth Reddy, has sharply criticized the BJP-led Indian government for denying him political clearance to travel to the US, calling the decision an insult to the four crore people of Telangana and saying New Delhi is discriminating against the state.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing a press conference after returning to Hyderabad from a three-day visit to the UK, Reddy said his proposed visit had been blocked for political reasons and amounted to an obstruction to Telangana’s development. “This is not a denial of permission to Revanth Reddy alone. It is an insult to the people of Telangana. It is because of Gujarat supremacy. It is like obstructing Telangana’s development,” he said.
Reddy said the decision ran contrary to the principles of cooperative federalism, pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several chief ministers, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, had been allowed to visit the US. He said Patel had received permission to travel to the US to seek investments for Gujarat, while his own proposed visit was denied. He also said that Modi was “acting as a Gujarati and not as the Prime Minister of India”.
“The BJP doesn’t want any state to grow beyond a point,” he said.
Reddy said his proposed US visit was also aimed at attracting investment and promoting education and sports under the ‘Telangana Rising 2047’ initiative. “This is not a personal insult to Revanth Reddy. It is an injustice to the four crore people of Telangana. Preventing the Telangana Chief Minister from undertaking the visit amounts to obstructing the state’s development,” he added.
He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi would raise the issue in Parliament.
Responding to reports that his proposed US itinerary included meetings with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and US Vice President JD Vance, Reddy defended the planned engagement with Mamdani, saying said there was nothing inappropriate about meeting the elected mayor. “Mamdani is also elected Mayor for New York. He is not an anti-social element,” he said.
Reddy had left for the UK on August 20 as part of a planned 10-day UK-US tour. While the BJP government cleared his UK visit, it denied political clearance for the US leg, prompting him to cut short the tour and return to Hyderabad from London.
