Kharge said he would seek a clear explanation from the Government of India regarding this denial after returning to Bengaluru.
Published Jun 18, 2025 | 12:11 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 18, 2025 | 3:37 PM
Minister Priyank Kharge. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge was denied permission by the Union government to travel to the US for official events. The minister was set to lead Karnataka’s delegation at two major international events.
Karnataka Electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge was denied permission by the Union government for a US visit for official events.
Kharge was in Paris attending a conference and the Paris Air Show, and was scheduled to travel directly to the US with his team when the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) withheld his clearance. The reason for the denial remains unclear.
The minister was set to lead Karnataka’s delegation at two major international events — the BIO International Convention in Boston and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco.
While senior officials in the delegation reportedly received their clearances, Kharge’s approval did not come through.
Taking to the social media platform X, Kharge stated, “I’m holding back on making any public statements for now. Once I’m back in Bengaluru, I will seek a clear explanation from the Government of India regarding this denial.”
However, this is not an isolated incident. In May 2025, the Union Government denied Kerala Health Minister Veena George permission to travel to the US to deliver a lecture at Johns Hopkins University. Despite applying three weeks in advance with an official invitation, her clearance was rejected just three days before departure.
In March 2025, Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev and his team were similarly denied permission to attend the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference in Washington, where he was slated to speak on the state’s “Year of Enterprises” initiative. Rajeev later called the move “extraordinary” in a Facebook post.
In June 2024, following a tragic fire in Kuwait affecting Indian nationals, Veena George was again denied permission — this time to travel to Kuwait to coordinate relief for Keralites. “What we sought was simply permission to stand with our people during a tragedy. That permission is denied,” she said at the time.
Tamil Nadu’s IT and Digital Services Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR) also recounted being denied clearance in 2023 — just 12 hours before he was to depart for a speaking engagement at Brown University. He had been invited by institutions including MIT, Harvard, and the Kennedy School of Government.
The repeated denial of travel clearances for ministers from opposition-ruled states has sparked criticism and concerns over the potential politicisation of official international engagements.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
