‘India has a weak PM’: Rahul Gandhi as Congress targets PM Modi over Trump’s hefty fees for H1B visas

NEW DELHI: Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has attacked PM Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump imposed a $1,00,000 fee for H1B visas.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi referenced his 2017 post where he had questioned the PM for not taking up the H1B visa issue with Donald Trump who was then in his first term as President. Rahul posted, ” I repeat, India has a weak PM.”

I repeat, India has a weak PM. https://t.co/N0EuIxQ1XG pic.twitter.com/AEu6QzPfYH

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 20, 2025

The Congress leader’s sentiments were echoed by senior party MP Manish Tewari who alleged that the US was being deliberately belligerent with India.

“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% tariffs which have been imposed by the US and even the Saud-Pakistani defence partnership won’t have happened without the tacit support and blessing of the US. So, in a very systematic manner, 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,” Manish Tewari said.

Another Congress leader, Pawan Khera, claimed that the entire country was today questioning PM Modi. “This is not a new development. On 5th July 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. You have the result today…Crores 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 said.

The Congress’ outburst comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s new presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers”, imposing a USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications. The measure, effective from September 21, aims to combat what the administration calls widespread abuse of the H-1B programme, particularly by IT outsourcing firms accused of displacing American workers and suppressing wages.

The proclamation argues that the original purpose of H-1B, to bring in highly skilled foreign talent, has been distorted, with the administration claiming that low-wage, entry-level H-1B hires have harmed American graduates and also highlights national security concerns, pointing to investigations into visa fraud and money laundering involving companies that rely heavily on the programme.

As per the order, employers must now provide proof of payment when filing H-1B petitions, with enforcement overseen by the US Departments of State and Homeland Security. Limited exemptions are available for cases deemed in the national interest. This rise in visa costs are likely to hit the tech cost arbitrage model where Indian software engineers and other talent was working onsite in the US, but could see the rise of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India. (ANI)