Indian Overseas Congress accuses Delhi of ‘double standards’ after Revanth Reddy US trip is denied
NEW DELHI — The Indian Overseas Congress has accused the Indian government of applying “double standards” after it blocked Telangana Chief Minister A. Revant...
NEW DELHI — The Indian Overseas Congress has accused the Indian government of applying “double standards” after it blocked Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s planned visit to the United States while clearing Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s trip to the US and Canada.
The Congress party’s overseas wing said on Saturday that Reddy’s proposed US visit was meant to help Telangana build Hyderabad into a global hub for education, innovation, skills and research through ties with leading universities. The group called the denial of clearance “troubling” and said efforts to improve education, jobs, investment and opportunities for young Indians should not be dragged into partisan politics.
Clearance for one, rejection for another
Reddy had been in London as part of an overseas tour and had planned to continue on to the US. The Ministry of External Affairs, however, cleared his UK leg but refused political clearance for the American portion.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that visits by chief ministers and other dignitaries are reviewed before clearance is granted. He said the proposed programme must fit the office held and the purpose of the trip, adding that in Reddy’s case the US plan did not meet that test.
That explanation did little to quiet the backlash. According to reports cited by the Indian Overseas Congress, the Telangana leader’s itinerary had included public and academic engagements in the US, with a major reception in New York and meetings with leading American universities.
Political overtones at home and abroad
The row now sits at the intersection of state politics, overseas outreach and Centre-state tensions. For Telangana, the trip was framed as part of a push to attract global partnerships and raise Hyderabad’s profile. For the Congress’ overseas network, it became a live example of what it sees as unequal treatment by the Centre.
Bhupendra Patel, a BJP chief minister from the party that leads the federal government, left on August 16 for an official trip to the United States and Canada to promote the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027, scheduled in the state in January. That contrast is at the heart of the criticism from the IOC, which said the two cases could not be squared.
Reddy is expected to return to Hyderabad after the UK leg of his tour. The US visit, for now, is off the table — and the political argument around it is unlikely to fade soon.
