Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over its decision to deny him political clearance to travel to the US, alleging that the move amounted to an insult to the four crore people of the state.
Addressing a press conference after returning to Hyderabad from a three-day visit to the UK, Reddy alleged that the Centre was discriminating against Telangana and said the Congress would raise the issue in Parliament.
Reddy said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had been permitted to visit the US to seek investments for his state, while permission for his proposed visit was denied.
"The BJP doesn't want any state to grow beyond a point," he alleged.
Reddy said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi would raise the issue in Parliament.
Responding to reports that his proposed US itinerary included meetings with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and US Vice President JD Vance, Reddy said there was nothing inappropriate about meeting the elected mayor of New York.
"Mamdani is also elected Mayor for New York. He is not an anti-social element," Reddy said.
He added that no engagement involving a chief minister and a mayor or the US vice president would take place without being officially finalised.
"The Indian embassy is very involved in the chief minister's engagements," Reddy said.
Reddy had left for the UK on August 20 as part of a planned 10-day UK-US tour aimed at promoting investments in Telangana. While the Centre cleared his UK visit, it denied political clearance for the US leg, prompting him to cut short the tour and return to Hyderabad from London on Monday.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said on Friday that political clearance was denied because the proposed programme for Reddy's US visit was not "appropriate" for the office of the chief minister.
(With PTI inputs)