Indian Congress leader Pawan Khera slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday for staying quiet about U.S. President Donald Trump’s new executive order. The order hikes fees for companies sponsoring H-1B visas to a whopping $100,000 per year, hitting Indian workers hard.
Khera pointed out that Trump keeps insulting India almost daily, yet Modi won’t speak up. He recalled how opposition leader Rahul Gandhi urged Modi during a parliamentary session to call out Trump as a liar. “If the PM had said that on the floor of the House, the whole country would have backed him,” Khera told . “Today, people across India are asking why he’s silent.”
Khera went further, reminding everyone of Rahul Gandhi’s warning back in July 2017. Gandhi had tweeted to alert Modi about potential crackdowns on H-1B visas, but nothing changed. “Modi was weak then, and he’s weak now,” Khera said. “Millions of young Indians will suffer because of this—our youth are losing big opportunities in the U.S.”
Former Indian diplomat Anil Trigunayat echoed the criticism, calling Trump’s H-1B visa fee increase a “regressive step” that hurts global talent flow. India sends the most H-1B workers to the U.S., especially in IT, so this change could disrupt thousands of jobs. “It’s an ongoing issue that’s making even regular visas tougher,” Trigunayat added.
Still, he noted the move fits Trump’s pattern to appeal to his MAGA supporters. Trump has long pushed restrictions on H-1B visas to prioritize American workers and cut what he sees as low-skill roles.
The Trump administration rolled out this policy to reshape how U.S. companies hire skilled foreign talent. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained during a press call on Friday that the $100,000 fee aims to weed out entry-level training spots while keeping doors open for top experts. Indian IT professionals, who make up the bulk of H-1B recipients, now face higher barriers to work in America.
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