Telangana CM Revanth Reddy’s US Visit Cancelled After Centre Denies Political Clearance

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the United States was cancelled on Friday after the Centre denied political clearance for the trip.

Reddy is currently in London as part of a 10-day UK-US tour with the ‘Telangana Rising’ delegation and will now return directly to Hyderabad on August 23.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Ministry assesses foreign visits by Chief Ministers and other dignitaries before granting political clearance. He said proposed programmes must be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit.

In Reddy’s case, the proposed US programme did not meet that requirement, while his UK visit had been approved.

While the government described the proposed programme as inappropriate, political circles have cited another possible reason for the denial.

According to information received, Reddy had sought permission to meet New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his US visit.

The proposal is reportedly viewed unfavourably by the Centre.

Mamdani is the son of Indian-origin filmmaker Mira Nair. He highlighted his Indian connections during his election campaign. He has made sharp and controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including references to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The Indian government does not consider such remarks appropriate.

The Telangana Chief Minister’s Office said Reddy’s proposed US visit would focus particularly on education. He planned to pursue agreements with universities including Harvard and MIT.

The Centre’s decision means the proposed US leg of the visit will not take place, while the UK programme has been cleared.

Under existing rules, government officials must obtain prior approval from the Central Government before undertaking foreign visits. The same requirement applies to Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State.

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