Denied permission for US visit, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge says will seek explanation from MEA
After the Ministry of External Affairs denied him permission to lead a delegation to the United States seeking investments in Karnataka, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said on Thursday that he would write to the MEA for an explanation besides requesting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kharge, who had sought permission to visit the US from June 14 to 27, said the delegation from the Karnataka IT/BT department had fixed appointments with various company heads and think tanks in New York and Boston. 'Had we sent a proposal (to the MEA) at the last minute, it was natural to be rejected. But we had planned it in advance,' he said.
The proposal for the delegation was cleared by the chief minister in the first week of May, following which it was sent to the MEA on May 15. 'On June 4, it was rejected. We have no problem if the visit is denied due to some reasons… But on June 6, I withdrew my name and sent only the list of the delegation of officers attending the trip. One June 11 it was cleared despite having the same officers and same minute-to-minute programme,' he said.
The delegation, without Kharge, is scheduled to have around 30 meetings during its US visit.
On June 12, Kharge told a news conference, he sent the name of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Chairman and MLA Sharath Bachegowda as the leader of the delegation, and the proposal was cleared by June 14.
'We will not let it go. (We) will write to MEA seeking a valid explanation on why permission was denied. If they had real concerns they should have put it on paper. If approving a delegation after the minister's name is removed is not politics, then what is?' he said.
The Congress leader said ministers from other southern states such as Telangana and Tamil Nadu were also denied permission to lead delegations seeking investment.
'I will also request the CM to write to the PM… This is not healthy. As the Government of India, you have all the right to correct us. But if you don't give us a valid reason, then we will consider it as politics,' he added.
On his recent trip to France, Kharge said he was there on an invitation by the organisers of the Paris Air Show. 'I had not met any government officials. Just think tanks and the people who had invited me. For that, concurrence was not required from the MEA,' he said.
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