Priyank Kharge questions MEA’s ‘U-turn’ on US trip clearance: ‘Belated approval, Karnataka deserves answers’

Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge has questioned the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) over a 36-day delay in granting political clearance for his official visit to the United States. The clearance was granted on June 19, five days after his originally scheduled departure on June 14. Kharge said he had applied on May 15 to travel to the US from June 14 to 27 for multiple official engagements.

According to Kharge, the visit was meant to represent the Karnataka government at the BIO International Convention in Boston and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco. The itinerary also included over 25 meetings with major global companies, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders aimed at investment and collaboration opportunities for the state.

He stated that the original application for clearance, which included the minister and a team of officers, was denied on June 4 without any official explanation. A revised application for officers alone, submitted on June 6, was approved on June 11. Another request for clearance of KEONICS Chairman only, submitted on June 12, was granted on June 14.

Kharge laid out the sequence of events in a post, saying, “Application for Minister + Officers Delegation made on 15 May — rejected on 4 June. Application for Officers Delegation without Minister on 6 June — cleared on 11 June. Application for KEONICS Chairman only on 12 June — cleared on 14 June.” He further added, “36 days after my original application, 15 days after the official denial and 5 days after my scheduled departure, they 'revoke' their previous decision.”

The Karnataka minister also wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on June 19, seeking a formal explanation for the initial denial. In the letter, he stated, “The visit was aimed at strengthening collaborations, attracting investments and creating employment opportunities for the state.” He said denying clearance to a Cabinet minister without explanation “raises serious concerns” and claimed the visit aligned with national development goals like ‘Viksit Bharat’.