Priyank Kharge writes to Jaishankar seeking clarification on denial of clearance for US visit

Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking a formal clarification on the denial of political clearance for his scheduled official visit to the United States of America.

He said the visit scheduled from June 14 to 27 was planned around two significant international forums, the BIO International Convention in Boston and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco.

However, due to denial of permission, according to sources, he was forced to cut short his trip and returned from Paris to Bengaluru on Wednesday night.

According to Kharge, he had scheduled several official meetings with top companies, universities and institutions in the US where he was to represent the Government of Karnataka to explore collaborations, attract investments and create employment opportunities for the state.

Taking to social media platform 'X' on Friday, he said that he has written to Jaishankar, seeking clarity on why political clearance for his official visit to the US 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 aimed at strengthening collaborations, attracting investments and creating employment opportunities for the state," he said.

Kharge expressed that 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 was not only against the interests of the state but also undermines the spirit of cooperative federalism.

In his letter dated June 19, Kharge stated that participation in such visits are aligned with the national priorities and would have directly supported the larger vision of Viksit Bharat laid out by the Prime Minister.

He stated that in the absence of a formal communication from the Ministry outlining the reasons for denial, 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 national interest.

"I would therefore request the Ministry to kindly provide a formal explanation for the denial and consider a more transparent and consultative approach in handling such official engagements in the future," he added.