Telangana BJP asks Revanth Reddy to reveal purpose of blocked US visit

Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday hit back at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over his attack on the NDA government at the Centre for denying permission for his proposed visit to the US. Rao said the Chief Minister should first explain whom he planned to meet in America and the purpose of those meetings.

He said Revanth Reddy should answer the people of the country about the individuals he wanted to meet in the US and why those meetings were planned. Without properly sharing details of the visit, the Chief Minister should not make false allegations against the Centre, he said.

Recalling that Revanth Reddy was not denied permission for his previous two visits to the US, London and Singapore, Rao said the Chief Minister should understand why permission was not being given this time. He also said several chief ministers were not given permission for foreign visits during the previous UPA regime when adequate information was not provided, according to a BJP release.

Rao said such decisions are taken as per the rules of the Ministry of External Affairs. Responding to Revanth Reddy's criticism that the Centre favoured Gujarat while discriminating against Telangana, he said the NDA government treated all states equally.

He said the expansion of National Highways, modernisation of railway stations, introduction of Vande Bharat Express trains, the establishment of a railway coach factory at Warangal, AIIMS at Bibinagar and other projects in Telangana reflected the Centre's development efforts in the state.

On August 25, Revanth Reddy launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government over the denial of his US visit, calling the decision "dictatorial" and an insult to the four crore people of the state. The exchange centred on the reasons for the denial of permission and the Chief Minister's criticism of the Centre's approach towards Telangana.