MEA says Revanth Reddy’s US programme ‘not appropriate’, denies political clearance

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said political clearance for Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the United States was denied because his programme did not meet the criteria applied to official overseas travel by chief ministers and other dignitaries. The Centre, however, cleared the UK leg of the same tour.

Explaining the decision, 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 United States, and therefore the clearance was denied,” Jaiswal said during the MEA briefing. He added: “Incidentally, let me also tell you that clearance was given for his visit to the United Kingdom.” The remarks provided the Centre’s first detailed explanation after the cancellation of Reddy’s US programme.

MEA has, however, not specified which meeting, institution or element of the proposed US itinerary it considered inconsistent with the office held by Reddy or the stated purpose of the visit.

US leg cancelled, officials to continue engagements

Reddy is currently in the UK as head of a Telangana Rising delegation and was scheduled to travel onwards to Boston before returning to Hyderabad on August 30. He will now return on August 23 after completing his engagements in Britain, according to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The CMO said it had sought permission for both the UK and US visits under the established procedure. It said the communication received from the external affairs ministry stated that “clearance from political angle is denied” for the US leg.

Reddy said the principal purpose of the US visit was to engage leading universities and educational institutions and encourage them to establish a presence in Telangana, particularly in Hyderabad’s planned Bharat Future City. He has directed state officials to continue with the US engagements and pursue proposed memoranda of understanding and partnerships despite his absence.

The Telangana delegation’s UK programme includes interactions with representatives of Oxford University, the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, London Business School and the University of London, besides sports and skilling organisations, according to the CMO.

Foreign universities already expanding in India

Reddy’s higher-education pitch comes as the Centre itself pushes the internationalisation of Indian higher education under the National Education Policy, 2020.

The education ministry said in a Lok Sabha reply on August 3 that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had issued 16 Letters of Intent to 15 foreign higher educational institutions from Australia, Italy, the UK and the US to establish campuses in India. The locations listed included Bengaluru, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Mumbai and Chennai.

By August 12, the process had advanced further. The education ministry said the University of Southampton and University of New South Wales had established campuses in Gurugram and Bengaluru respectively, while four foreign institutions – University of York, University of Bristol, University of Aberdeen and Illinois Institute of Technology – had received approval to begin academic operations in Mumbai.

Telangana’s Bharat Future City plan seeks to tap into the same international-education trend. The state’s Telangana Rising 2047 vision describes it as a 30,000-acre future city proposed at Mucherla in Ranga Reddy district, with a dedicated 500-acre Education Hub intended to bring together international standard academic institutions and industry.

US outreach preceded proposed visit

The cancelled visit also followed Reddy’s meeting with US ambassador to India Sergio Gor in New Delhi on August 5.

According to the Telangana government, the two discussed cooperation in education, employment, investment, technology and research. Reddy sought greater visa support for Telangana students, smoother H-1B processing for professionals and stronger partnerships between American universities and educational institutions in the state. He also pitched Telangana’s strengths in information technology, artificial intelligence, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, start-ups and advanced technologies.

Political clearance for foreign travel by chief ministers is part of an established government procedure. In an August 2023 Rajya Sabha reply, the MEA said chief ministers and ministers in state governments and Union Territories are expected to seek political clearance for visits abroad. The ministry said it had, for instance, granted such clearance 20 times to the Kerala chief minister and accompanying delegations during the preceding seven years.