Revanth Reddy’s tentative meeting with Mamdani sparks row over denied US visit
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Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s proposed meeting with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on August 26 has triggered a political controversy after the Centre denied clearance for Reddy’s planned visit to the United States.
A tentative itinerary accessed by The Indian Express showed the proposed meeting with Mamdani.
However, the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office said the meeting was only tentative and that no official communication had been exchanged between the NYC mayor’s office and the CMO.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said Reddy’s UK visit was cleared, but political clearance for the US leg was denied because the proposed programme was not considered appropriate.
The development drew criticism from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. BRS MLC Dr Dasoju Sravan asked whether the possible meeting with Mamdani was linked to the denial of clearance and sought an explanation from the Centre and state government.
BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri also questioned the proposed meeting, citing Mamdani’s absence from New York’s main India Day Parade and his attendance at a Pakistan Day event.
Reddy’s planned US itinerary included meetings with the Indian diaspora and visits to Harvard University, MIT, Northeastern University and Virginia Tech. An MoU was also scheduled to be signed at Harvard.
Reddy had said the visit was intended to bring leading global educational institutions to Telangana and develop Hyderabad as a global knowledge hub. He had instructed his delegation to proceed with the US tour and sign MoUs with educational institutions despite his absence.