IOC USA protests denial of Revanth Reddy's political clearance for US visit

The Centre denied political clearance for Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's proposed US visit after approving his UK trip. The move sparked charges of double standards as Telangana's delegation pressed ahead with planned university partnerships.

In Short

• MEA cleared Revanth Reddy’s UK trip but withheld approval for America
• IOC USA said the tour aimed to build global education partnerships
• Planned meetings covered Harvard, MIT, Northeastern University and Virginia Tech collaborations

The Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) USA Telangana Chapter has expressed “deep disappointment and concern” over the Government of India’s decision to deny political clearance to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his planned visit to the United States after his trip to the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that it assesses visits by chief ministers and other dignitaries before granting political clearance. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The programme proposed in such cases should be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit. In this particular case, that was not so in respect of the US.” He added that Reddy’s visit to the UK had been cleared.

In a statement on Saturday, the IOC USA Telangana Chapter said Reddy’s “highly anticipated” US tour was to include a major public reception in New York and high-level engagements with leading American academic institutions. It said the main aim of the visit was to advance Telangana’s plan to make Hyderabad a global centre for education, innovation, skills and research through partnerships with some of the world’s leading universities.

Responding to the MEA decision, Reddy said the only purpose of his US visit was to bring the world’s best institutions to India, Telangana and Hyderabad as part of the Centre’s New Education Policy. “They would have been an answer to our youth’s aspirations to get education, skills, and training from the best Ivy Leagues and top global institutions. 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.

George Abraham, Vice-Chairman of IOC-USA, said efforts to advance education, employment, investment and opportunities for India’s youth must remain above partisan politics. He also questioned the denial of clearance to the Telangana Chief Minister while the Gujarat Chief Minister was permitted to visit the United States, calling it “a troubling and unmistakable double standard”.

The Telangana Chapter said Reddy had asked the state government delegation to go ahead with the US visit as scheduled and continue the planned engagements. According to the statement, the delegation is expected to pursue scheduled memorandums of understanding and partnership initiatives with Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Virginia Tech. IOC USA leaders also said thousands of members of the Indian diaspora from the state had registered within hours to welcome Reddy in the US.

The IOC USA said it “strongly condemns the use of political or administrative mechanisms to impede legitimate initiatives aimed at promoting education, investment, innovation, and economic development” and added that “political rivalry should end where the interests of India’s youth and the development of its states begin”. It also said it stood with Reddy and his vision for Telangana, even as the state’s official delegation continues with the planned institutional engagements in the US.

With PTI Inputs

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