Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has cancelled the United States leg of his ongoing two-nation visit after the Centre denied political clearance for his proposed trip.
Reddy, who is currently in the United Kingdom, is expected to return to Hyderabad from London on Sunday. His US itinerary was focused largely on exploring partnerships with leading global universities and skills institutions for Telangana.
The Telangana chief minister said his visit was intended to create opportunities for young people in the state to access high-quality education, skills and training.
“I have always believed we should all think beyond politics and elections when it comes to nation-building and the future of the youth,” Reddy said, according to his office.
Why was Revanth Reddy’s US visit cancelled?
Reddy’s office said the Union government communicated that the required political clearance for the US leg had not been granted. The external affairs ministry had cleared his UK visit, but the US portion was denied while he was already in London.
The chief minister was scheduled to visit institutions including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northeastern University and Virginia Tech.
The proposed meetings were aimed at attracting educational and skills-development institutions to Telangana and exploring possible collaborations.
Despite Reddy’s absence, he has directed members of his delegation to continue with the US programme and pursue the planned memoranda of understanding and partnership agreements.
Reddy says Telangana’s education push will continue
Reddy said the cancellation would not affect Telangana’s broader ambition of developing Hyderabad into a global knowledge and education hub.
He highlighted institutions such as Osmania University, the University of Hyderabad and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, along with IIT Hyderabad, the Indian School of Business, IIIT Hyderabad and NALSAR University of Law, as examples of the city’s growing education ecosystem.
The chief minister said Telangana wanted to attract globally recognised education and skills institutions to the state so that young people could access international-quality opportunities without having to leave India.
The initiative is part of the state government’s broader Telangana Rising vision, which Reddy said would continue irrespective of political hurdles.
Reddy’s UK engagements to continue
While the US leg has been cancelled, Reddy is expected to continue his engagements in the UK over the next two days.
His schedule includes meetings involving Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics, London Business School and the University of London. He is also expected to meet sports and skills-development organisations to explore potential partnerships.
Previous instances of foreign travel clearance disputes
The denial of political clearance for Reddy’s US visit comes amid previous instances in which chief ministers or state ministers faced difficulties securing approval for overseas travel.
The article cited the 2019 denial of permission to then-Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to travel to Denmark and the refusal of clearance for Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to attend the Paris Olympics.
In 2018, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also criticised the BJP-led Union government over the denial of clearances to state ministers seeking to travel abroad for fundraising following floods.
There is a procedural framework governing foreign visits by chief ministers. Requests are routed for political clearance through the external affairs ministry, with the Union home ministry and Cabinet Secretariat also involved in the process.
Reddy’s office maintained that the proposed US trip was primarily aimed at developing educational and skills partnerships rather than political activity.
