Jaipur, July 01: Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, whose foreign visit had been cleared by the Centre after an initial delay, left for the US today to attract investments in the state and attend a conclave of non-resident Rajasthanis in New York. The Chief Minister, accompanied by three cabinet colleagues and a team of 12 officials, flew by an early morning flight from Delhi, official sources said here.

The ministers accompanying him are finance minister Pradhyuman Singh, industries minister Chandra Bhan and tourism minister Shanti Dhariwal, they said.
The delay in grant of permission for the visit by the Centre led to Gehlot accusing the Vajpayee government of "political discrimination". The BJP had shot back alleging, the visit was aimed at "collecting election funds for Congress from non-resident Rajasthanis.”
Bureau Report