Telangana BJP chief says MEA cancelled CM’s US trip as he planned to meet Mamdani

Hyderabad: State BJP president N Ramchander Rao defended the Ministry of External Affairs’ decision to deny clearance for Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed US visit, alleging that the chief minister intended to meet individuals whom he described as “anti-India forces.” He also questioned Reddy’s reported plan to meet New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

In a statement, Rao alleged that Reddy intended to meet people he described as the “ideological gurus” of Rahul Gandhi, whom he referred to as the “Leader of Propaganda (LoP)”. He also questioned why the proposed meeting with Mamdani was not mentioned in the chief minister’s official itinerary, The New Indian Express reported.

Rao alleged that Mamdani had recently attended a Pakistan Day event in New York and claimed that his views on India had attracted criticism from sections of the Indian-American and Hindu communities.

Referring to Mamdani’s past activities, Rao claimed that he had participated in a demonstration at New York’s Times Square in August 2020 opposing the Ram Mandir bhoomi puja in Ayodhya. He also alleged that anti-Hindu slogans were raised by some participants at the event.

Rao further claimed that Mamdani had opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and participated in political mobilisation critical of the Indian government ahead of Modi’s 2023 US visit. He said Mamdani’s criticism of Modi and comments on the Gujarat riots had subsequently faced strong opposition.

Rao also referred to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s criticism of Mamdani, saying Singhvi had accused him of making statements that benefited Pakistan’s public relations efforts.