3 min readAug 25, 2026 06:00 AM IST First published on: Aug 25, 2026 at 06:00 AM ISTInstead of heading to Boston as planned on Sunday, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy abruptly flew back to India from London — he was denied permission by the Ministry of External Affairs for the US tour, which led to the cancellation of the second leg of his foreign trip. Undoubtedly, denying permission lay in the MEA’s remit. Before it accords political clearance, the visits of chief ministers and other dignitaries are assessed by the ministry for criteria such as the “purpose” and “level” of scheduled meetings. And yet, it is unseemly that the MEA should weaponise the rulebook’s small print to cut short CM Reddy’s trip. Apparently, the CM’s itinerary included possible meetings with New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani and US Vice President J D Vance — while the NYC mayor is seen at some levels below the Telangana CM, a meeting with the US Vice President did not fit the trip’s stated purpose, which was to attract investment into Telangana, including educational partnerships. This is a narrow-minded approach that does not behove the external affairs ministry of a country like India, which prides itself on its growing confidence on the world stage, and on building global knowledge hubs like Hyderabad. Moreover, by curtailing an Opposition chief minister’s foreign trip, the government looks small and heavy-handed, sending a dispiriting signal to the world — and within the country.The denial of permission to CM Reddy can be seen as part of a dismal pattern of antagonism, and the near breakdown of dialogue, between government and Opposition at home. This is so even as Reddy, the second CM of a newly carved out state, who began his career in the ABVP, has been seen to tweak the script — in the past, he has struck a note of pragmatism and cordiality vis-à-vis the government of Narendra Modi. In the aftermath, the political to-and-fro has seen the recycling of tired and opaque spectres and prejudices — the BJP in Telangana has insinuated that the MEA decision was meant to cut short engagement with “anti-India” and/or “anti-BJP” elements, that are out to destabilise “national security”.AdvertisementAfter Operation Sindoor in May 2025, the Modi government dispatched seven multi-party delegations, which included prominent leaders of the Opposition, to foreign capitals. They were tasked with making India’s case to the world while projecting national unity. The subject, then, was terror, but the message was more generally heartening: That whatever be the political differences within, India’s ruling establishment trusted and included the Opposition in its dealings with the world. CM Reddy’s abbreviated trip now points to an unfortunate and unflattering backsliding.