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Responding to a question on Telangana Chief Minister being denied political clearance for his proposed US visit, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said visits by Chief Ministers and other dignitaries are assessed by the ministry before political clearance is accorded. “Let me say that the visits of Chief Ministers, as with other dignitaries, are assessed by the Ministry of External Affairs to accord political clearance.

The programme proposed in such cases should be appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit. In this particular case regarding the United States, that was not so, and therefore the clearance was not given,” Jaiswal said. He, however, clarified that political clearance had been granted for Revanth Reddy’s visit to the United Kingdom. The MEA’s response comes after Revanth Reddy, earlier in the day, claimed that the Centre had denied permission for his proposed visit to the US, forcing the Telangana Rising delegation to cancel the US leg of its tour. According to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office, the state government had sought Central clearance for the Chief Minister’s proposed visits to the UK and the US, but permission was granted only for the UK leg. The CMO said the state government was informed about the denial of permission for the US visit after the official delegation had reached the UK. The Chief Minister’s Office said Revanth Reddy will now return to Hyderabad from London on August 23 instead of travelling to Boston.