MEA relents, allows Priyank Kharge to visit US, but too late

Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge was set to lead state delegations to two major international events — the BIO International Convention in Boston and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco. After he was denied permission to travel — ministers and chief ministers require a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) green signal to attend events abroad — he sought an explanation for denial of permission from external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.

Kharge made the letter public on Friday, 20 June, and hours later, in fact before noon on Saturday, the MEA took a U-turn, revoked its earlier decision and gave the nod to the minister’s visit. Kharge promptly took to social media to post about the U-turn, and asked if it absolved the minister and the ministry of the need to explain their conduct.

This is, however, not an isolated example of such arbitrary use of discretionary powers, with several opposition leaders — including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu minister P. Thiaga Rajan — having been denied permission earlier.

The denial had shocked both political leaders and the legal fraternity. Former Union minister, lawyer and columnist P. Chidambaram expressed his shock and said the Karnataka minister ought to move court if he did not receive a satisfactory explanation. Kharge, who also happens to be the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, posted the following on X:

So in a U-turn, the Ministry of External Affairs has now decided to revoke its earlier decision and grant me a clearance for an official visit to the United States.

I had sought permission on 15 May to travel between 14–27 June to represent the Government of Karnataka at two…

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) June 21, 2025

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“So, in a U-turn, the Ministry of External Affairs has now decided to revoke its earlier decision and grant me a clearance for an official visit to the United States. I had sought permission on 15 May to travel between 14–27 June to represent the Government of Karnataka at two major global forums and over 25 official meetings with top companies, universities and institutions for collaborations and making pitches for investment in the state.”

Kharge went on to provide the chronology. The first application for the minister and a delegation of officers was made on 15 May this year. It was rejected on 4 June. On 6 June, an application was moved for permission to the delegation without the minister. It was approved on 11 June. Another application for the KEONICS chairman only was made on 12 June and cleared on 14 June. Clearly, the ministry had problems with the minister travelling, but offered no explanation as to why it was so problematic.

I have written to the Minister of External Affairs, Sri. Jaishankar, seeking clarity on why political clearance for my official visit to the United States 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… pic.twitter.com/RkBAsg45Zo

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) June 20, 2025

On 19 June, Kharge addressed a press conference, laying out the full chronology, questioning the basis of the denial and raising concerns about possible political interference. The matter was widely reported in the media. By evening of the same day, the MEA revoked its earlier denial and issued a 'No Objection' dated 19 June. The minister received the approval on Saturday, 21 June, five days after his scheduled departure.

The minister posed several questions on Saturday and asked why the clearance was denied in the first place; was the previous order revoked to avoid accountability after the matter became public? What is the point of granting clearance after key events are either over or nearing completion? Will the MEA now avoid explaining the original decision by pointing to the belated approval?