H-1B visa fee hike: Rahul Gandhi says India has a weak PM, Cong slams govt

Several Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party President Mallikarjun Kharge, slammed the government after US President Donald Trump's administration announced a steep hike in H-1B visa fees to $100,000, a move expected to hit Indian workers the hardest.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi shared a Business Standard report on the H-1B visa hike on X, saying: “I repeat, India has a weak PM.”

Additionally, Kharge said, “Indians are pained by the return gifts you received after the birthday call.” He was referring to Trump calling PM Modi to extend birthday wishes on the latter’s 75th birthday on September 17.

Kharge added, “Birthday return gifts from your ‘Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar’ government!” He pointed out that the steep additional fees would hit Indian tech workers the hardest, as nearly 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders are from India.

Bear hugs, hollow slogans not foreign policy: Kharge

"Indian national interests are supreme. Bear hugs, hollow slogans, concerts and getting people to chant 'Modi, Modi' is not foreign policy. It is about safeguarding our national interests, keeping India first, and steering friendships with wisdom and balance," Kharge said in a post on X.

He also pointed to other measures by the Trump administration that, he said, unfairly target India. These include the 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, estimated to have cost India ₹2.17 trillion; the US’ HIRE Act aimed at curbing Indian outsourcing; Trump’s call for the European Union to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Indian goods; and his repeated claims of having stopped the India-Pakistan conflict.

'US systematically turning on screws on India'

Other Congress leaders, including senior party MP Manish Tewari and Congress leader Pawan Khera, also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"The US is systematically turning on the screws on India. What happened with regard to the H-1B visa is no coincidence at all. If you look at it in context, the premature ceasefire announcement by the US at the instigation of Pakistan, subsequently, the felicitation and the feting of the Pakistani Army chief in the White House, followed by the 50 per cent tariffs which have been imposed by the US. For reasons which are inexplicable and understandable, the US is deliberately being belligerent towards India and it does not augur well for India-US relations," Tewari said.

Meanwhile, Khera claimed that the entire country was questioning PM Modi.

Building on Gandhi's comment, Khera said, "This is not a new development. On July 5, 2017, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted and alerted PM Modi that this was going to happen and do something. But he was a weak PM back then and even today."

"Millions of youth of this country are going to face a loss... Trump is insulting us every day. But the PM is silent. Rahul Gandhi gave him an opportunity to say on the floor of the House that Trump is a liar. Had he said that, the country would have stood with him. Today, the entire country is questioning the PM," he added.

US crackdown on foreign workers

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order requiring companies to pay $100,000 annually for each H-1B worker, along with stricter wage norms aimed at prioritising American hires, especially in entry-level roles.

India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71 per cent of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7 per cent, according to Reuters.

India-US relations remain turbulent

Relations between India and the US have been turbulent since the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs, including a 25 per cent penalty for the purchase of Russian crude, which came into effect on August 27.