Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Aug 24: Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday termed the Centre’s denial of permission for his proposed visit to the United States an “insult” to the four crore people of Telangana and accused the Modi government of “political discrimination”.
Addressing a press conference after returning from the United Kingdom, Revanth Reddy alleged that the Centre was obstructing the flow of investment and development into Telangana.
Describing the decision as “dictatorial”, he said it undermined the spirit of federalism.
Revanth Reddy was scheduled to travel from the UK to the US on August 23 for a week-long visit. He said the reason for denying permission was clear from the Ministry of External Affairs’ communication, which stated that clearance had been denied from a “political angle”.
“The political angle is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the BJP and comes from Gujarat while I belong to the Congress party and I am from Telangana,” he said.
Citing official correspondence between the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and the Ministry of External Affairs seeking permission for his UK and US visits, Revanth Reddy said the purpose of the trips had been clearly outlined.
He said the Telangana delegation planned to seek collaboration with prestigious international universities and sports academies, invite investments and hold meetings with investors and strategic partners.
The Chief Minister said his government was working to establish Telangana as a premier sports and education hub. The delegation also planned to invite investors to the Telangana Rising Global Summit 2.0, scheduled to be held in Hyderabad in December.
Revanth Reddy said the proposed visit was part of efforts to achieve the objectives of Telangana Rising-2047, formulated in alignment with the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat vision.
“If the purpose of my visit to both the UK and the US was the same, why did the Centre refuse permission for the US visit?” he asked.
The Chief Minister claimed the decision was linked to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s visit to the US to attract investments for the Vibrant Gujarat 2047 initiative.
“The Gujarat Chief Minister was granted permission to visit the US and Canada from August 17 to 24. Permission was granted to him for investment-related visits under the 'Vibrant Gujarat' initiative. However, I was blocked when I sought to visit the US as part of the 'Telangana Rising 2047' initiative,” he said.
Revanth Reddy alleged that Prime Minister Modi considered himself an ambassador of Gujarat and did not want other states to grow.
He further claimed that the Centre was apprehensive that his visit would help Telangana attract greater investments.
The Chief Minister said the denial of permission was not an insult to him personally but to the people of Telangana.
“You can stop me but not my goal for the development of Telangana,” he said.
Revanth Reddy said the Congress would not tolerate such “political discrimination” and would raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament.
Asked about reports that his proposed meeting with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani could have contributed to the denial of permission, he questioned why such a meeting would be an issue.
“Is Mamdani an anti-social element? He has been elected as mayor by the people of New York,” he said.
The Chief Minister also questioned the Centre over Prime Minister Modi’s past visit to Pakistan.
“PM Modi can go to Pakistan, which is not a friendly country, but we can’t go to the US,” he remarked, referring to Modi’s visit to Pakistan and his meeting over “biryani” with his hosts.
Revanth Reddy also criticised BJP leaders from Telangana for making political allegations against him over the issue.
Reminding the BJP that Telangana had elected eight of its MPs, he urged them to speak up for the interests of the state.