Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has accused the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of blocking the entry of foreign delegates invited to the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, despite the delegates having valid visas. He made the allegation at a press conference while defending the state government’s decision to invite Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to the event.
Reddy said the delegates, including a Norwegian journalist, had obtained visas but were barred from entering India by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The report did not identify the delegates by name or provide a response from the Union government or the ministry to the allegation.
The Chief Minister said Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had been invited by the Telangana government to unveil a policy for gig workers and deliver a message at the summit. He questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party was opposing Gandhi’s participation in an event organised by the state government.
According to Reddy, around 1,000 delegates from 70 countries are attending the Bharat Summit. The event is intended to bring experts together to discuss democracy, investment, infrastructure and the environment. The summit’s international participation is part of Telangana’s wider effort to position Hyderabad as a platform for policy discussions and investment outreach.
The Chief Minister also criticised the BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi for opposing several state initiatives. He referred to the proposed rejuvenation of the Musi river, Hyderabad Metro Rail expansion, the Regional Ring Road and the Tummidihatti project. These initiatives span urban transport, regional connectivity, water and environmental infrastructure, making the political dispute relevant to the state’s broader development agenda.
Reddy further said the Bharat Summit would be followed by the Invest Telangana Global Summit, scheduled from December 7 to 9 at Bharat Future City. The state government has already held curtain-raiser events in Delhi and other locations, with similar events planned in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, he said.
The investment summit is part of Telangana’s stated ambition to attract capital and transform the state into a $1 trillion economy by 2034 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047. The Chief Minister said Hyderabad offered a favourable environment for investment, while accusing Union ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, state BJP president N. Ramachander Rao and BRS leader K. T. Rama Rao of spreading misinformation about the Bharat Summit.
Reddy also questioned why the two Union ministers from Telangana had not attended an all-party meeting on El Niño. The reported denial of entry to invited delegates and the Centre’s response, if issued, will determine how the visa dispute develops beyond the summit.
