Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called Narendra Modi a weak Prime Minister hours after US President Donald Trump imposed a steep annual fee on H-1B visas, which allows U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign professionals.
On his X account, Rahul wrote: “I repeat, India has a weak PM.”
The criticism came after US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation raising the fee for H-1B visas, widely used by Indian IT professionals, to USD 100,000 per year.
Trump described the move as a step to curb “abuse” of the visa programme, which he said had replaced American workers with lower-paid foreign labour.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the visa hike was among the “return gifts” Modi had received following his birthday call with Trump.
“Indians are pained by the return gifts you have received after the birthday call. Birthday return gifts from your ‘Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar’ government!” Kharge wrote on X.
He added that 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders were Indians and the increase would hit Indian tech workers hardest.
“A 50% tariff has already been imposed, causing an estimated Rs 2.17 lakh crore loss to India in 10 sectors alone. The HIRE Act targets Indian outsourcing. The Chabahar port exemption has been lifted, hurting our strategic interests. There is even a call for the EU to impose 100% tariffs on Indian goods,” Kharge wrote.
Taking aim at Modi’s personal diplomacy, Kharge added, “Indian national interests are supreme. Bear hugs, hollow slogans, concerts and getting people to chant ‘Modi, Modi’ is not foreign policy.
Foreign policy is about safeguarding national interests, keeping India first, and steering friendships with wisdom and balance. It cannot be reduced to superficial bravado that risks undermining our long-term standing.”
The official Congress handle also attacked the government, calling Modi’s foreign policy his “biggest failure.”
The post said, “Earlier, the fee was about Rs 6 lakh. Now, a staggering Rs 88 lakh annually! This single decision hits India the hardest – fewer job opportunities for Indians in the US, a massive drop in remittances, and Indian IT jobs under threat. Back home, with mass layoffs already happening in India’s top IT firms, this visa shock only makes things worse.”
Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said the US decision directly affected “the future of the best and brightest minds from India.”
He contrasted Modi’s approach with that of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, recalling Singh’s strong response when “one IFS lady diplomat was insulted in the US.”
Gogoi alleged that Modi’s “preference for strategic silence and loud optics has become a liability for the national interest of India and her citizens.”
Party spokesperson Pawan Khera argued that the development vindicated Rahul Gandhi’s earlier warnings.
“Eight years later, Rahul Gandhi is vindicated yet again,” Khera said, tagging a 2017 post by Gandhi that had pointed out the visa issue was ignored in Modi’s talks with Trump.
“He called it out back in 2017 and nothing has changed. India is still stuck with a weak Prime Minister,” Khera added.
Trump, announcing the visa hike on Friday, said the H-1B programme had been “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers” and termed the “abuse” a national security threat.
The Congress, however, insisted the development was further evidence that Modi’s foreign policy was failing, leaving Indian workers, businesses and strategic interests vulnerable despite the Prime Minister’s emphasis on headline-grabbing engagements with global leaders.