The Congress on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the United States announced a USD 100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas, describing him as a "weak" leader whose "strategic silence" is undermining national interests.
According to PTI, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said the American government’s decision would affect the future of highly skilled Indian professionals. "With the recent decision on H1-B visas the American government has hit at the future of the best and brightest minds from India. I still remember the boldness of former PM Manmohan Singh when one IFS lady diplomat was insulted in the US," Gogoi said in a post on X. He alleged that Prime Minister Modi’s preference for "strategic silence and loud optics has become a liability for the national interest of India and her citizens."
Congress leader Pawan Khera also attacked the prime minister, saying, "Eight years later, Rahul Gandhi is vindicated yet again." He referred to Gandhi’s 2017 comments on the issue, pointing to media reports at the time that the H-1B matter did not feature in talks between Modi and then US President Donald Trump. "He called it out back in 2017 and nothing has changed. India is still stuck with a weak Prime Minister," Khera posted on X.
The reactions came after US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday imposing the annual USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visas, which are widely used by companies to hire skilled workers, including from India. Trump said misuse of the programme posed a national security risk.
The proclamation noted that the H-1B programme, designed to bring temporary high-skilled workers to the US, had been exploited by employers to replace American workers with lower-paid labour rather than supplementing the domestic workforce.
(With inputs from PTI)
