- Bhagwant Mann's visit to Czech Republic, Netherlands was cancelled due to no political clearance from Centre
- This marks the third time Mann failed to obtain political clearance for a foreign visit
- AAP accuses Union government of targeting opposition states by restricting overseas visits
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's visit to the Czech Republic and the Netherlands has been cancelled after the Central government held his political clearance request in abeyance, leaving no response to his scheduled visit.
This is the third time that Chief Minister Mann has failed to secure political clearance for a foreign visit. In January, he was also denied political clearance for a visit to the UK and Israel.
The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had denied political clearance to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for a proposed official visit to the United Kingdom and Israel. Before that, his request to visit France was also denied during the Paris Olympics.
The repeated denial of political clearance has once again brought Centre and State relations into focus, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the Union government of targeting opposition-ruled states.
Party leaders argue that such restrictions hamper Punjab's ability to engage internationally on issues like investment, education and diaspora outreach, especially when chief ministers from other states have undertaken overseas visits in the past.
The Punjab Chief Minister was to lead the delegation to the two European countries to seek investment for the state, ahead of the Investors Summit scheduled for next month.
Under established protocol, chief ministers require political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs for any official foreign travel. While the MEA does not publicly disclose reasons for granting or withholding clearance, the issue has increasingly become politically contentious.
With this being the third instance of a proposed foreign visit being stalled, the cancellations add to the growing friction between the Mann-led Punjab government and the Centre, ahead of an already charged political climate.
