Centre drops move to cut short Naidu’s Davos visit

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh government was in for a surprise, when it sought mandatory political clearance for a 17-member delegation and for a seven-day visit to Davos from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for WEF's 49th annual meeting from January 20 to 26. The state received a communication from the MEA restricting the number of days to four and pruning the size of the delegation to 10. The restrictions kicked up a row, in the wake of strained relations between the TDP and the BJP. The information has leaked out and some TDP leaders now describe the MEA's recommendations as ridiculous, alleging that the Centre was trying to sabotage Naidu's Davos trip. They saw a political angle behind the move, accusing the Centre of showing discrimination and coming in the way of the State government's attempt to attract investments.