Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday accused the Centre of “political discrimination” against the state and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi explain the reasons for denying clearance to his proposed official visit to the United States.
Addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat after returning from his UK trip, Revanth Reddy questioned why the Union Ministry of External Affairs approved his visit to the United Kingdom but rejected the US leg of the tour.
The Chief Minister said the Telangana government had submitted complete details of the proposed visit to the MEA, but was later informed that the US trip had been denied on “political considerations”.
“If the tour was rejected for political reasons, the Prime Minister should explain what those political reasons are,” he said.
Revanth Reddy alleged that the Centre’s decision showed a biased attitude towards Telangana and was aimed at obstructing the state’s development and efforts to attract investments.
He compared the decision with the Centre’s clearance for Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s visit to the US and Canada from August 17 to 28 for investment-related programmes under the Vibrant Gujarat initiative.
“Why was the Gujarat Chief Minister allowed to visit the US and Canada for investment programmes, while Telangana’s Chief Minister was denied permission for an official visit under the Telangana Rising 2047 initiative?” he asked.
Revanth Reddy alleged that the Centre was worried that Telangana could overtake Gujarat in attracting investments.
He said blocking the proposed visit amounted to obstructing Telangana’s development and was an injustice to the people of the state.
“This is political discrimination and an attempt to stall Telangana’s progress,” he said, adding that Telangana MPs would raise the issue in Parliament.
Revanth Reddy said the Centre could stop him from undertaking the proposed US visit, but could not prevent Telangana from pursuing its investment and development agenda.
He said the state government would continue preparations for the Telangana Global Summit 2026, to be organised under the Invest Telangana initiative on December 8 and 9.
The summit will focus on attracting investments, particularly in sectors such as education and sports, he said.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need for cordial relations between the Centre and state governments despite political and ideological differences.
“There may be ideological differences between political parties, but cordial relations must exist between the Centre and the states,” he said.
Revanth Reddy also accused the Union government of weakening the federal spirit.
