Rahul Gandhi apologises to foreign delegates over Bharat Summit visa row
Congress leaders and the Telangana Chief Minister accused the Centre of blocking several international speakers from attending the summit in Hyderabad.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi apologised to foreign delegates who were unable to attend the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, according to Telegraph India. Gandhi stated that the Government of India did not allow them to attend, noting that the situation illustrates the challenges they face.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged that 115 of the 315 speakers cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) were denied entry or had their visas cancelled. Tharoor claimed this occurred on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs and questioned the legal basis for such a move.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also criticised the Centre, alleging that the BJP had an issue with Gandhi's participation. Reddy mentioned that Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen had her visa cancelled, and he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of preferring dictatorship.
The two-day summit in Hyderabad brought together approximately 1,000 delegates from more than 70 countries to discuss democracy, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused the BJP of attempting to sabotage the event by cancelling visas.
Responding to the controversy, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that visa matters are sovereign functions of any government. The summit was organised by the Congress-led Telangana government and included members of the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance.