US Consulate in Bengaluru: 'No visa process yet, stop misleading people,' Priyank Kharge tells BJP MPs

Bengaluru: Ahead of the inauguration of a US Consulate in Bengaluru, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday slammed BJP MPs for "misleading" citizens.

"BJP MPs should stop misleading people. While the Consulate will be opened soon, it will be only to service Americans and businesses. It will take a while before they start processing Visa from here (sic)," Priyank posted on X.

The US Consulate is scheduled for inauguration on Friday.

While the Consulate's location has not been revealed, it will reportedly function with a limited number of officials from the JW Marriott Hotel on Vittal Mallya Road, before moving to a permanent office.

Taking a dig at the BJP and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Priyank said: "The decision to establish consulates is made by the respective governments based on the economic significance of a city, not on the whims or personal preferences of BJP MPs or the External Affairs Minister. I am confident that Jaishankar, who served the nation as an officer for 38 years across various regimes (mostly under Congress governments), would agree with this."

Priyank also said that Bengaluru "has always been the natural choice" for a US consulate "given its thriving ecosystem for investments and trade that mutually benefits" both nations.

"Perhaps BJP MPs and Jaishankar should make honest reels about how pressure from the Supreme Leader to prioritize a consulate in Gujarat caused the delay in establishing one in Bengaluru," Priyank said in a veiled attack on Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya.

Proposed US consulate in 2006, says Kumaraswamy

The idea of a US Consulate in Bengaluru was proposed by Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy during his first sting as chief minister in 2006, his office said in a statement on Thursday.

"During the UPA regime, political pressures from another state led to the shifting of the Consulate elsewhere, temporarily stalling Bengaluru’s dream of hosting such a diplomatic presence," Kumaraswamy said.

In 2018, when he became the CM again, Kumaraswamy said he "reignited the effort" during his meeting with then US Ambassador Kenneth Juster.

"This marked a turning point in the long journey. I reiterated that Bengaluru is a city that bridges global technology and diplomacy," he said.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Kumaraswamy said: “This achievement is the result of collective efforts."