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portfolio in the state’s Congress government, asked why the permission was denied in the first place and whether it was revoked after the matter became public.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...

Read more