Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge questions Centre's ‘U-turn' on clearance for US visit
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday questioned the Ministry of External Affairs for initially rejecting his clearance for an official visit to the United States 'without an explanation' and later reversing its decision.
Kharge, who holds the information technology portfolio in the state's Congress government, asked why the permission was denied in the first place and whether it was revoked after the matter became public.
The minister had sought permission to visit the US from June 14 to June 27 to seek investments for the state. On Thursday, he alleged that he had been denied permission for the visit without a reason, adding that he would write to the ministry for an explanation.
'So in a U-turn, the Ministry of External Affairs has now decided to revoke its earlier decision and grant me a clearance for an official visit to the United States,' the Congress leader said on Saturday. Kharge said he had sought permission on May 15 to represent the Karnataka government at two global fora and over 25 meetings with companies, universities and institutions.
The minister said that his application to the ministry seeking permission for himself and a delegation of officers to visit the US was rejected on June 4. Two days later, his department submitted an application for the delegation without listing his name, which was cleared on June 11, he added.
On June 12, Kharge said that he sent the name of Sharath Bachegowda, Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited chairperson, to the ministry to be granted permission for the visit, which was cleared by June 14.
'My application was denied without any official explanation,' he said. 'On 19 June, I addressed a press conference, laying out the full chronology, questioning the basis of the denial and raising concerns about possible political interference.'
Noting that the matter was widely reported in the media, Kharge said that by the evening of June 19, the Ministry of External Affairs revoked its earlier denial and issued a No Objection clearance. '36 days after my original application, 15 days after the official denial and 5 days after my scheduled departure, they 'revoke' their previous decision,' he said on X.
So in a U-turn, the Ministry of External Affairs has now decided to revoke its earlier decision and grant me a clearance for an official visit to the United States.
I had sought permission on 15 May to travel between 14–27 June to represent the Government of Karnataka at two…
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) June 21, 2025
The minister alleged that the timing of the clearance raised serious questions.
'Was the previous order revoked to avoid accountability after the matter became public?' he asked. 'What is the point of granting clearance after the key events are either over or nearing completion?'
Kharge said that while 'the Centre gives us slogans like 'Make in India', 'Digital India', 'National Quantum Mission' and 'India AI Mission', the real work to realise these aspirations is happening here in Karnataka'.
He added: 'They [Centre] coin the vision, but when we do the work to bring investments, create jobs and position India as a global leader – they block us.'
On Thursday too, the Congress leader had claimed that ministers from other southern states such as Telangana and Tamil Nadu were also denied permission to lead delegations seeking investment.
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