India denies Telangana CM US visit clearance

India — Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's planned US visit was cancelled after the India — Ministry of External Affairs denied political clearance. The denial came while Reddy was already in the United Kingdom on an official delegation. The state government had sought permission for both the UK and US legs, but only the UK portion was approved. Reddy, who was scheduled to travel to Boston on August 23, will instead return to Hyderabad on that date. He described the denial as 'political' and 'shocking', but directed officials to continue with the US programme and conclude planned memoranda of understanding with institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, and United States — West Virginia. The visit was part of the 'India — Telangana Rising' initiative to attract global educational institutions to Hyderabad. Reddy will continue his UK engagements with University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, London Business School, and University of London. The denial follows previous instances where chief ministers faced similar clearance issues, including Arvind Kejriwal in 2019 and Bhagwant Mann for the Paris Olympics.