Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge says will write to MEA about denial of clearance for US visit

Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday said that he will write to the Ministry of External Affairs for an explanation after it denied him permission to lead a delegation to the United States seeking investments for the state, The Indian Express reported.

Kharge, who holds the information technology portfolio in the state’s Congress government, also said that he would ask Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The minister had sought permission to visit the US from June 14 to June 27, the newspaper reported. A delegation from his department had fixed appointments with several companies and think tanks in New York and Boston, he said.

Siddaramaiah had cleared the proposal for the delegation in May, after which it was sent to the Ministry of External Affairs on May 15, Kharge said. However, it was rejected on June 4, he added.

“I can understand if there was a solid reason that was given [for the rejection],” Kharge told NDTV.

However, the response from the ministry cited no reason, he added.

“On June 6, I took out only my name from the list and mentioned only the delegation of officers,” Kharge said, adding this proposal was cleared on June 11. “The request was exactly the same but without my name.”

On June 12, the minister...

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