NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi on Saturday led a blistering Congress attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Donald Trump-led US administration announced a jaw-dropping $100,000 fee on H1-B visa applications – a move set to hit India’s tech talent hard. The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha revived his old jibe, calling PM Modi a “weak PM” and accusing him of failing to stand up for Indian interests abroad.

Rahul Gandhi reposted an old 2017 post of his on X, which read “India has a weak PM,” alongside screenshots of news articles, and added again: “I repeat, India has a weak PM,” sharing another article on the US decision on H-1B visas, which is set to affect thousands of Indian aspirants.

The US has substantially hiked the fee for H-1B visas, mandating organisations recruiting foreign professionals to pay $100,000 per application. This is expected to significantly impact Indian IT professionals and workers in the US.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised PM Modi, saying: “Indians are pained by the return gifts you have received after the birthday call. Birthday Return Gifts from your ‘Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar’ Govt!” He referred to PM Modi’s event with Donald Trump in Ahmedabad during latter’s last term of presidency.Kharge also targeted PM Modi over broader foreign policy issues, recalling Trump’s repeated claims of brokering peace between India and Pakistan, which escalated around Operation Sindoor.Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi added to the criticism on X, writing: “With the recent decision on H1-B visas the American government have hit at the future of the best and brightest minds from India. I still remember the boldness of former PM Manmohan Singh when one IFS lady diplomat was insulted in the US.”He added, “Now PM Modi’s preference for strategic-silence and loud-optics has become a liability for the national interest of India and her citizens.”