Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the policies governing the nation under Prime Minister Modi’s regime have damaged India’s reputation and have weakened the country’s passport ranking in global passport rankings.
India has been ranked 125th out of 197 countries in the recently released 2026 Global Passport Index (GPI), one place down from its previous position last year.
In a post on X , Kharge questioned Modi’s 2018 assertion, in which the prime minister had said that the Indian passport, with time, would gain greater respect and strength.
"Modi Govt's policies are responsible for hurting India's global reputation," Kharge said. Referring to Modi's 2018 remarks, he added, "PM Modi claimed in 2018: 'People travelling and living abroad know the respect and strength of the Indian passport today.' Where is that 'strength' reflected? Facts belie his assertions."
According to the Congress leader, India’s position had declined over the years in terms of international passport ranking.
While referring to different passport ranking indexes, he said the World Economic Forum-referenced passport ranking had positioned India at 80th in 2026, a downward decline from its 74th position in 2023. Referring to the Global Citizen Solutions passport ranking, he said India was ranked at 125th in 2026.
Kharge further accused the government of increasing the cost of passport services without improving the quality of service.
"Instead of improving services, the Modi Govt has made passports more expensive. Passport fees have been hiked from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500, while Tatkal charges have gone up to Rs 5,000," he said.
Expressing skepticism at Centre’s claims of enhancing India's global standing, Kharge asked, "If the passport is weaker, visa services are lacklustre, and citizens are paying more for substandard services, then where exactly is this much-advertised global respect?"
“Reality bites. India's reputation suffers. Courtesy: Modi Govt !” his post said.
"Why is India's official visa application portal still so outdated and confusing that it resembles a website from the late 1990s? No one in India, the land of 'Atithi Devo Bhava', wants to welcome tourists like this?" he said.
The Congress president also targeted the government's tourism record, alleging that foreign tourist arrivals have yet to recover to pre-COVID levels.
“They have dropped from 10.93 million (2019) to 9.95 million (2024),” he said, asking, “Is the Modi Govt masking this failure by clubbing NRI arrivals with foreign tourist data?”
Kharge also criticised India's official visa application portal, describing it as outdated and difficult to navigate.