The central government denied political clearance to the chief minister of Telangana, who planned to visit the US after his trip to the UK, viewing the proposed visit as having a "political" undercurrent.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, who had intended to also meet the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, along with visiting top educational institutions in the country like Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northeastern University, and Virginia Tech University was denied a political clearance by the MEA that cited "appropriateness" and "purpose of visit" for the cancellation, but sources privy to the developments say that it was his desire to meet Mamdani that did not go down well with the government of India. 

Also Read: Telangana CM’s visit to US not given political clearance as proposed programmes not appropriate: MEA

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, who is currently on a visit to the UK along with a team of officials of the Telangana government, had intended to visit the US after concluding his UK visit, but only the UK trip was granted political clearance by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). 

Led by CM Reddy, the official TelanganaRising delegation "was forced to cancel their visit to the US after the MEA denied permission, saying "...clearance from political angle is denied," a statement from the office of the Telangana CM said.

While the state government had sought Central permission for the trip to the UK and US, as per policy and protocol, only the UK trip was approved, officials of the Telangana CMO said. 

The Centre informed the state government of its refusal of permission after the official delegation reached the UK, officials added.

Mamdani meet seen as political: Sources

Sources privy to the developments, however, said that along with visiting top educational institutes in the US, the Telangana CM had proposed to meet the current New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, during his visit to the US, which was seen as a "political move" by the government of India."The CM had expressed a desire to meet the New York mayor," said a source.

Another source added that the move was seen as a political move by the government of India which denied clearance to Reddy's US visit.

A democratic socialist of Ugandan origin and a practising Shia Muslim, Mamdani is largely viewed as a symbol of liberalism in the US and while conservative media and the MAGA movement view him with hostility and as a symbol of an urban progressive elite, some international liberals and domestic progressives view his underdog electoral success as a sign of populist energy against corporate establishments.

Educational Focus says Telangana CM

Responding to the Central decision, CM Revanth Reddy said, “The only purpose of the visit was to, as part of the New Education Policy of Centre, bring the world’s best institutions to India, to Telangana, to Hyderabad. They would have been an answer to our youth’s aspirations to get education, skills, and training from the best Ivy Leagues and top global institutions. I have always believed we should all think beyond politics and elections when it comes to nation building and the future of the youth."

While being shocked by the “political denial” for a visit to further TelanganaRising and education, and contribute to Viksit Bharat, CM Revanth Reddy has decided to comply with the Central decision and return to India from London, taking a flight back to Hyderabad and instead of proceeding to Boston, US.

The office of the Telangana CM has further said that Reddy had "instructed the officials to go ahead with the US trip and conclude all the MoUs and partnership agreements."

“We will make Hyderabad a global knowledge hub. The creation of Universities from Osmania to HCU (Hyderabad Central University) to JNTU (Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad) et al made Hyderabad a hub for best human resources. A single school, Hyderabad Public School, has shown how we can lead the world, producing some of the greatest tech leaders. The starting of IIT, ISB, IIIT, Nalsar helped Hyderabad attract top corporations and their GCCs (global capability centers). Now, we will make Hyderabad the home for the world’s greatest education and skills institutions to power our 21st century journey,” a statement from the Telangana CM's office said. 

The Telugu community is one of the largest and fastest-growing regional Indian groups in the US, with a population exceeding 1.2 million. Hailing primarily from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Telugu speakers are heavily concentrated in IT, engineering, and corporate leadership, forming vibrant cultural hubs across states like California, Texas, and New Jersey. 

Telugu has also become one of the fastest-rising non-English languages in the US and the increased numbers of the community in the US is largely driven by higher education (F-1 visas) transitioning into the technology sector (H-1B visas). 

Denying political clearances

In the past, there have been several instances of the MEA declining political clearances to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to travel abroad. Kejriwal and Banerjee were CMs of Delhi and West Bengal when they were denied political clearance to travel abroad. 

In fact, in Mann's case, the central government has denied political clearance to the Punjab CM and a state delegation for a planned investment trip to the UK  and Israel in February 2026. 

A prior request from Mann to travel to France during the Paris Olympics in 2024 was also previously turned down.  

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