Published Aug 24, 2026 | 10:06 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 24, 2026 | 10:32 PM
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy addressing the media at the Secretariat on 24 August
Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy hit back at the Union government for declining clearance for his US visit scheduled for 23 August. Reddy accused the Prime Minister of discriminating against Telangana and said that the MEA’s decision was an insult to the entire state. He also dismissed rumours about his official engagement and criticised the BJP leaders for spreading misinformation.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led Union government, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday, 24 August, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of harbouring deep discrimination and bias towards Telangana.
At a news conference at the State Secretariat, Reddy demanded that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) disclose the specific political reasons for denying clearance for his official tour to the United States.
Reddy questioned why the MEA had approved his official visit to the United Kingdom as part of his Telangana Rising tour but withheld clearance for the United States leg, citing a vague “political angle”. He termed it an insult to the people of Telangana and a direct violation of the country’s federal spirit.
Besides the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Seethakka, and other cabinet members were also present for the press meet.
“Today, on behalf of the entire Telangana government, including all ministers, MLAs, MLCs, and other representatives, we are condemning the Union Government’s decision,” the Chief Minister said.
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The Chief Minister expressed deep anger over the MEA’s single-line rejection of his US tour, which was planned under the ‘Telangana Rising 2047’ initiative. Reddy emphasised that the state government had furnished comprehensive schedules and protocol details to the central ministry well in advance.
“I have applied; I gave a proper format of application to the MEA. But they gave a simple single-line rejection saying they have declined due to a political angle,” Reddy said, adding that the central government was using diplomatic channels to settle political scores.
“What is the political reason? The reason is that I belong to the Congress party. I belong to Telangana state,” he added.
Reddy was highly critical of the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal’s remarks that the proposed US tour was inappropriate for the office he holds. He also said that if the information provided in his application was insufficient, the officials should have requested a response from the Chief Minister’s Office.
“Whoever is the spokesperson, he should join the BJP. Why? Because I have given a categorical application with purpose of visit, date, and schedule,” Reddy retorted, highlighting that the UK portion of the trip went ahead without issues.
“The reason and purpose are the same. If they don’t want to give permission, they have to decline both the UK and the US. He has to answer that,” he said, addressing Jaiswal.
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A central theme of Reddy’s news conference was the apparent disparity in how the Union government treats different states.
He pointed out that Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was granted permission to tour the United States and Canada from 17 to 28 August for the ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ investment promotion event.
“How can you grant permission to the Gujarat Chief Minister around the same time period but not to our Telangana Rising tour? This is an obstruction to Telangana Rising and is clearly political discrimination,” Reddy alleged, calling it a deliberate attempt to hinder Telangana’s development.
Reddy accused the Prime Minister of acting as an ambassador solely for his home state of Gujarat rather than leading the entire nation.
“Modi thinks he is an ambassador for Gujarat. He doesn’t want any other parts of the country to develop. He is the one who said Viksit Bharat 2047 – sab ka saath sab ka vikas. Where is the vikas?” he questioned.
He further took potshots at the Prime Minister’s international engagements and pointed to his 2015 visit to Pakistan. Reddy asked the Union government what clearance Modi had obtained to meet the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Reddy warned that such politically motivated decisions threatened cooperative federalism and hurt relations between the centre and states. He noted that while political parties may have ideological differences, the governments must maintain cordial relations.
He announced that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with Telangana’s MPs, will raise the issue of the MEA’s discrimination in both houses of Parliament.
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The Chief Minister also took a shot at local BJP leaders from Telangana and rejected rumours they made about the nature of his planned engagements in the US. He accused them of spreading misinformation and making derogatory, personal allegations without proof.
Reddy said his visit was strictly to visit renowned educational institutions, sports academies, and businesses to persuade them to invest in Telangana.
“I visited Oxford, Cambridge, and the London School of Economics (LSE). I requested them to establish regional learning centres in Telangana. They agreed to send their teams to review the proposal. I want our students to have an opportunity to study at LSE, the institute where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar studied,” said Reddy.
He added that they planned to invite potential investors to the Telangana Global Summit 2026, to be held in December.
Reddy highlighted that every official engagement in a foreign country goes through the Indian High Commission officials posted there and a detailed report is submitted to the Indian government.
He also criticised Telangana BJP MPs, stating that despite winning eight parliamentary seats from Telangana, they remained silent on the state’s issues.
“The people of Telangana gave them eight parliamentary seats. They are enjoying that position. And then refusing to take up issues of Telangana in Lok Sabha or with the Government of India,” Reddy added.
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Revanth Reddy addressed rumours about a potential appointment with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and dismissed allegations made about him in the Indian Media.
“Mamdani is also an elected mayor of New York. He is not an anti-social element. A mayor appointment or a vice president appointment won’t take place without official clearance. Is he some local ward councillor that I could meet on a random errand?”
Reddy also defended Oxford University Professor Maya Tudor, and said that meeting with her was part of an official engagement. He addressed the media scrutiny on Prof Tudor’s criticism of the Indian government, and said, “She mentioned Indira Gandhi and Modi in her article on declining democracy in India. She is an academician and wrote some articles. But she is also holding a position at Oxford.”
In defence of Prof Tudor, Reddy said that he endorsed her views and added, “Actually, this is what Maya Tudor said – that democracy in India is declining. I am endorsing that statement. My opinion is the same. Because of Modi since 2014, democracy is declining in India. This is a dictatorial decision by Modi.”
Despite the diplomatic roadblock, Reddy declared that the Union government’s interference would not halt Telangana’s progress. While he complied with the Centre’s decision and returned to Hyderabad on 23 August, his official delegation of state officers has proceeded with the US leg of the tour.
“You obstructed my tour. I won’t be deterred from achieving my goal. That’s why I have sent my delegation of officers,” said Reddy. He shared that the delegation will continue to visit and finalise agreements with Ivy League Colleges and leading global institutions, including Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, and Virginia Tech, as well as major business investors.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the ultimate goal of the “Telangana Rising” campaign is to establish Hyderabad as a global educational, sports, and knowledge hub, bridging the gap for students who cannot afford to study abroad.
“We want to make Hyderabad a global knowledge hub,” he said.
The state government will push ahead with hosting the ‘Telangana Global Summit 2026’ under the aegis of ‘Invest Telangana’ on 7 to 9 December.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
