Overview
- The allegation that 115 of roughly 315 foreign speakers who had political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs were refused entry or had visas cancelled was made by Congress leaders on Friday, November 13, 2026.
- Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen reported that her visa was revoked after she had received MEA clearance and a visa, which organisers and state officials say illustrates the wider pattern of last‑minute cancellations.
- Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and summit organisers say several invited delegates were stopped at airports or forced to return, but the two‑day Bharat Summit in Hyderabad proceeded with panels and visits by about 1,000 delegates from 70 countries.
- BJP ministers and state leaders have criticised the event as an 'anti‑India' gathering and questioned its funding and guest list, turning the visa row into a partisan dispute over the summit’s purpose.
- Neither the Ministry of Home Affairs nor the Ministry of External Affairs had issued a public response at the time of reporting, raising questions about the legal basis for the cancellations and the summit’s ability to host all planned sessions and investment pitches, including Rahul Gandhi’s scheduled valedictory address on November 14, 2026.