Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 22 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Saturday strongly criticised Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over his meeting with author Maya Tudor during his visit to the University of Oxford, questioning the purpose of his trip and his interactions with an author who they claimed held critical views on India.
Speaking to ANI, Telangana BJP leader and the state's chief spokesperson NV Subhash expressed strong objection to the CM's meeting with figures such as Tudor and Faisal Devji, alleging that they have been critical of India's values.
"BJP Telangana questions Revanth Reddy about the purpose of his UK and US visits--asking whether the trip is personal, professional, or aimed at the development of the people and the state. What is the significance of meeting Maya Tudor, an author who has written several anti-India, anti-BJP, and anti-RSS books?... Then there is another individual--Faisal Devji--who holds anti-India views and opposes democratic values. He has hosted podcasts, made social media posts, and given interviews in which he has attempted to undermine Indian democratic values and disparage Indians before the global community. Revanth Reddy must offer a clarification on this. The Congress party has no provision for an 'India First' mindset; instead, their priority is 'Family First,' 'Party Second,' and 'Nation Last," Subhash said.
He said that Reddy has not been granted permission to travel to the US from London after Intelligence sources provided information to the MEA.
"Intelligence sources have provided significant information to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the MEA has explicitly not granted permission for Revanth Reddy to travel to the US, although his team and officials have been permitted to visit, meet with university professors and deans, and hold business-related discussions. Revanth Reddy's agenda is deeply personal. In this instance, the suspicion arises that he is engaging with anti-India elements to destabilise the country's internal security," said Subhash.
Echoing similar sentiment, BJP leader Borra Narsaiah Goud accused the Chief Minister of lowering the dignity of a constitutional post. He alleged that the tour agenda was "dubious" and claimed that central authorities had denied certain permissions to safeguard state and national security.
"The Chief Minister's post is not a simple post; it is a constitutional post, and this position involves not only the dignity of the country but also the security and safety of the state and the nation. But the Telangana Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy Ji, has crossed all limits in lowering the dignity of the office, as if he is a free man, and his tour agenda was much murkier and more dubious than that of an ordinary person. This is the reason why the central government has taken the step of denying permission in order to safeguard the state and the country. Instead of being a Chief Minister, he has become a chief hawala operator. That's not good for the country or Telangana," he told ANI.
The criticism comes after Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's delegation, including K Ramakrishna Rao and others, visited the Blavatnik School of Government, one of the youngest institutions within the Oxford University umbrella, where they interacted with faculty members, including Maya Tudor and Faisal Devji. (ANI)
BJP leaders slams Telangana CM over meeting with "Anti-India" writer during Oxford visit
