Why Revanth Reddy is bristling at 'bade bhai' Modi over scuttled US tour

Some BJP leaders are attributing the denial of permission by the external affairs ministry to the Telangana CM's alleged plan to meet New York mayor Zohran MamdaniWeeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “mere se hi judo” (join me) offer and the political speculation over it, Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy has been left bristling and questioning the Centre’s rationale in denying permission for his US tour when Modi, according to him, could go to even Pakistan.Reddy returned from London to Hyderabad on August 24 after the ministry of external affairs (MEA) denied approval for the US leg of his overseas tour. The MEA has stated that Reddy was refused political clearance as the US visit did not conform to established norms.The Congress chief minister dubbed the rejection as against the federal spirit and an insult to the 40 million people of Telangana. He accused Modi of adopting a biased and dismissive attitude towards Telangana and conspiring to obstruct the state’s growth. “This is political discrimination and an attempt to stall Telangana's progress,” charged Reddy, questioning how Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel could get permission to visit the US and Canada from August 17 to 28 to organise ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ investment programmes whereas his tour to forge collaborations in higher education for Telangana had been blocked.“The Gujarati leadership is conspiring to obstruct Telangana's development. This is an injustice inflicted upon the 40 million people of Telangana," Reddy told the media at the state secretariat.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had responded on the denial last week, stating that Reddy’s US programme was not appropriate to the office held and the purpose of the visit.Some BJP leaders are attributing the denial of permission to an alleged plan to meet New York mayor Zohran Mamdani. Union minister of coal and mines G. Kishan Reddy demanded that Revanth Reddy clarify if he had intended to meet the “pro-Pakistan Mamdani”.“Mamdani had compared PM Narendra Modi with terrorists. Is it true that the chief minister (Revanth Reddy) wanted to meet such a person?” Kishan Reddy asked in New Delhi. He said that in 2005, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre had denied permission for then Gujarat chief minister Modi to visit the US, “but the Congress chief minister is now spreading false propaganda”.Reddy was scheduled to visit the Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Northeastern University campuses as well as address a ‘Meet and Greet’ event of the Indian Overseas Congress, an organisation affiliated to the Congress party, in New York on August 26. However, there was speculation that he had also allegedly planned a meeting with Mamdani.Hitting back at Reddy, Telangana BJP chief Ramchander Rao demanded that the chief minister first disclose who all he planned to meet in the United States and the purpose of those meetings. He defended the cancellation, saying the MEA decision was taken “as there was information that the CM was meeting some individuals in US who target India and its people”.Rao reminded that Reddy’s previous tours to the US weren’t stopped. The chief minister had visited the US in August 2024 to attract investments and this January to attend an executive leadership course at the Harvard Kennedy School.Reddy countered that the US tour was focused on engagements with universities. “No meetings happen without official appointment and Indian embassy officials’ involvement. Any meeting would require MEA clearance. There can be no secrecy,” he argued. He added that Mamdani was “not any anti-social element”.During his UK tour, Reddy had visited the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University, University of London and also met with a team from Cambridge University—all interactions aimed at Telangana’s collaborations in the academic space.The ‘Telangana Rising’ official delegation, comprising IT and industries minister Sridhar Babu and top officials, had embarked on the two-nation tour on August 20, expecting approval for the US leg to come even as they wrapped up events in the UK.But the MEA, state officials claimed, denied permission saying “clearance from political angle is denied”.Himself disallowed, Reddy instructed officials to proceed with the US tour and sign MoUs with top educational institutions. “We must all think beyond politics and elections when it comes to nation-building and the future of the youth,” Reddy had remarked on August 21, adding that “Telangana Rising is unstoppable”.Once back in Hyderabad, Reddy called a media conference and demanded that the prime minister reveal the “political reasons” for disallowing the Telangana delegation led by him to embark on the scheduled US visit. “There can be ideological differences between political parties, but cordial relations must exist between the Centre and state governments,” the chief minister said.The BJP’s Rao said all states—be it Gujarat or Telangana—were equal in the eyes of Modi. “Without furnishing proper details of his US tour, the chief minister is now spreading lies and misleading, disrespecting the people of Telangana,” he said.As the political bickering intensifies, the equation may be going cold between Modi and Reddy, who had earlier referred to the prime minister as “bade bhai” (elder brother).Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Akshita JollyPublished On: Aug 27, 2026 20:20 IST