BJP Chief Asks Telangana CM Revanth Reddy to Reveal Details of Planned US Visit

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday took strong exception to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's attack on the NDA government over the denial of clearance for his visit to the United States, demanding that the Chief Minister disclose details about his planned meetings in America.

Addressing the issue, Rao said that Revanth Reddy must answer to the people of the country regarding the specific individuals he intended to meet in the US and the exact purpose behind those interactions. He asserted that without properly submitting and sharing the required details of the trip, the Chief Minister should not level allegations against the Union government.

Recalling that Reddy was previously allowed to travel without hindrance during two earlier visits to the US, London, and Singapore, the BJP state chief suggested that the Chief Minister ought to understand why clearance was withheld this particular time. Rao noted that decisions on clearance are governed strictly by the rules and protocols of the Ministry of External Affairs.

According to a BJP release, Rao pointed out that even during the previous UPA regime, several chief ministers were denied permission for foreign visits when they failed to submit adequate information regarding their travel plans.

Responding to Reddy's accusation that the Centre was acting with bias by favouring Gujarat while discriminating against Telangana, Rao maintained that the NDA government treats all states equally. He highlighted several central initiatives as evidence of the Centre's development agenda in the state, including the large-scale expansion of National Highways, the modernisation of railway stations, the introduction of Vande Bharat Express trains, the establishment of a railway coach factory at Warangal, and the AIIMS institution at Bibinagar.

The political exchange comes after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy launched a sharp critique on August 25 against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA administration. Reddy had termed the Centre's denial of permission for his US tour as "dictatorial" and called it an insult to the four crore people of Telangana.