CHANDIGARH: Once again, the Aam Aadmi Party led Punjab Government and BJP led Union Government are at loggerheads, as Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied political clearance to Punjab Power and Public Works Department Minister Harbhajan Singh for his scheduled visit to the United States. Singh is supposed to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit 2025 to be held in Boston, Massachusetts from August 4 to 6.
He is the fourth Aam Aadmi Party leader (minister or senior functionary) who has been denied approval for foreign travel. Sources said that political leaders require clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs for travelling abroad.
The MEA cited security reasons for the refusal. Harbhajan Singh said that this conference would have been a good learning experience as a legislator and an opportunity for international exposure.
"The summit would have provided a platform to connect with legislative peers and policy innovators from across the globe, enabling me to bring back innovative ideas and best practices that can be implemented for the benefit of Punjab,’’ he said. When asked why he was denied permission, Singh said that the MEA would know better.
AAP Punjab spokesperson Neel Garg questioned, "Why is the Modi Govt afraid of @AAPPunjab leaders going abroad? CM Mann blocked, Speaker Sandhwan blocked, Minister Aman Arora, now Harbhanjan Singh ETO blocked. 4AAP leaders denied political clearance. Minister Harbhajan was to represent Punjab’s governance model at the NCSL conference in Boston. But the Centre got scared — of truth, of transparency, of a real alternative model. Is foreign diplomacy now @BJP4India's monopoly? Why is AAP being stopped from global platforms? Is this an attack on India's federal structure? We strongly condemn this decision," he wrote on X.
Last year, the central government denied political clearance to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to travel to Paris for the Indian hockey team's quarterfinal match at the Olympic Games. Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was also denied political clearance for going to the US to participate in a legislative conference in August last year.
In 2022, Punjab Renewable Energy and Governance Reforms Minister Aman Arora was denied political clearance for a knowledge-sharing study tour to Europe.
Punjab BJP spokesman Anil Sareen said that it is not a political issue but an administrative one, and that AAP leaders should not politicise it but instead check with the MEA why the minister’s permission was denied.
The invitation to Singh was extended jointly by the NCSL and National Legislators’ Conference Bharat (NLC Bharat). The NCSL Legislative Summit 2025 is one of the largest gatherings of legislative leaders, staff experts and policymakers worldwide, creating an environment filled with unparalleled learning, networking, and inspiration opportunities.
The summit would feature open sessions covering various aspects of governance, professional development workshops and networking events designed to facilitate knowledge exchange among legislative colleagues from different countries and jurisdictions, as per an official release issued on July 28.