Centre denies clearance to Punjab power and public works department minister Harbhajan Singh for US conference visit
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The minister was scheduled to participate in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Boston, Massachusetts, US. The invitation was extended jointly by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and National Legislators' Conference Bharat (NLC Bharat).
Harbhajan Singh told TOI, "The conference would have been a good learning experience as a legislator and an opportunity for international exposure.
Boston is known as an education hub."
When asked about the reason for the denial, he said, "The ministry would know better. With only a few days left, there is no time to pursue the matter. There will be another such opportunity in the future."
AAP Punjab spokesperson Neel Garg questioned, "Why is the Modi govt afraid of AAP leaders from Punjab going abroad? Four AAP leaders have been denied political clearance so far. Minister Harbhajan Singh was to represent Punjab's governance model at the NCSL conference in Boston. But the Centre got scared — of truth, of transparency, of a real alternative model. Is foreign diplomacy now @BJP4India's monopoly? Why is AAP being stopped from global platforms? Is this an attack on India's federal structure? We strongly condemn this decision…"
In Aug last year, the Centre denied political clearance to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann for his travel to Paris for the Indian hockey team's quarterfinal match.
The MEA cited security reasons for the refusal. In the same month, Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was denied political clearance to travel to Kentucky in the US to attend a conference of Speakers of Legislative Bodies from Aug 4 to 7. Before that, Punjab minister Aman Arora was denied political clearance for a Europe visit where he was to go on a knowledge-sharing study tour in Sept 2022.
On July 28, the state govt issued a press statement announcing that minister Harbhajan Singh had been invited for the conference in the US in recognition of his "significant contributions to legislative governance and public administration in Punjab."
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BOX
Mann, speaker, Arora: String of denials
Aug 2024 | Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann was denied clearance to travel to Paris for the Indian hockey team's quarterfinal match. The ministry of external affairs cited security reasons for the denial.
Aug | Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was denied political clearance to attend a conference of Speakers of Legislative Bodies in Kentucky, USA.
Sept 2022 | Punjab minister Aman Arora was denied political clearance for a Europe visit where he was scheduled to go on a knowledge-sharing study tour.
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