New Delhi:
Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Saturday said he has received the Centre’s nod to travel to the United States, two days after he wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking clarity on why the clearance for his official visit was denied.
Mr Kharge, the Karnataka Minister, was scheduled to visit the US from June 14 to June 27 to lead delegations to the Boston Bio 2025 and this year’s Design Automation Conference in San Francisco. Mr Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, was in France when he was denied clearance.
In a post on X, he said the Ministry of External Affairs has taken a “U-turn” and revoked its earlier decision and granted him a clearance for his visit.
Mr Kharge said he had sought permission on May 15 and asserted that he received the “No Objection clearance” on June 19, shortly after he addressed a press conference, questioning the basis of the denial and raising concerns about possible “political interference”.
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
He had also written a two-page letter to Mr Jaishankar on Thursday and said his visit was aimed at “strengthening collaborations, attracting investments and creating employment opportunities” for Karnataka.
“Denying a Cabinet Minister and the custodian of one of the world’s largest technology clusters, the ability to carry out such official responsibilities without explanation, raises serious concerns. It is not only against the interests of the state but also undermines the spirit of cooperative federalism,” he wrote in the letter, which he shared on his official X account on Friday.
I have written to the Minister of External Affairs, Sri. Jaishankar, seeking clarity on why political clearance for my official visit to the United States was denied. I do so with a deep sense of responsibility to the people of Karnataka, to whom I am duty-bound. The visit was… pic.twitter.com/RkBAsg45Zo
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) June 20, 2025
“The visit was planned around two significant international forums, the BIO International Convention in Boston and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco, as well as several official meetings with top companies, universities and institutions, where I was to represent the Government of Karnataka to explore collaborations, attract investments and create employment opportunities for the State,” Mr Kharge said.
He said the absence of ministerial-level representation during an official visit of “such significance is a lost opportunity to further elevate India’s engagement, strengthen confidence among global partners and demonstrate the seriousness with which we approach these sectors”.
“More importantly, the participation in such visits are aligned with our National priorities and would have directly supported the larger vision of Viksit Bharat laid out by the Prime Minister,” he said.
He said he didn’t receive a formal communication from the Ministry for the denial, and that it becomes “difficult to assess and plan future engagements of this nature”.
“It also raises concerns about the consistency of the process, especially when the visits are official, sector-critical and in the National Interest,” the Congress MLA from Chittapur said, and requested the Ministry to provide a formal explanation for the denial.
He also requested the Ministry to consider a “more transparent and consultative approach” in handling such official engagements in the future.
