Modi’s Stark Warning on Self-Reliance Echoes as Trump Surges H-1B Visa Costs to $100,000
In a pointed response to escalating tensions over U.S. immigration policies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underscored India’s imperative to break free from external dependencies, labeling reliance on foreign nations as the nation’s gravest threat. The remarks, delivered amid President Donald Trump’s sharp increase in H-1B visa fees to $100,000 annually roughly ₹88 lakh highlight the profound stakes for Indian tech professionals who form the backbone of America’s high-skilled workforce.
Speaking at a rally in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Modi invoked the ethos of “Vishwabandhu,” portraying India as a global collaborator unburdened by adversaries. “Duniya mein koi hamara bada dushman nahi hai. Agar hamara koi dushman hai toh woh hai dusre deshon par hamari nirbharta,” he declared, translating to: “We have no major enemy in the world. Our biggest enemy is our dependence on other countries.” He urged collective action to vanquish this internal foe, stressing, “This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat this enemy of India, the enemy of dependence. We must always reiterate this.”
Modi’s address doubled as a critique of historical missteps that stunted India’s growth. He lambasted the pre-1991 “license-quota raj” under Congress rule, which he said shackled the economy and severed it from global opportunities. Even as liberalization dawned, he argued, the party veered toward unchecked imports, squandering the nation’s inherent strengths. “India must become Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) and stand strong before the world,” Modi asserted. “India has no shortage of potential, but after independence, Congress ignored all of India’s potential. Therefore, even after 6-7 decades of independence, India has not achieved the success it deserved.”
“There were two major reasons for this,” he continued. “For a long time, the Congress government kept the country entangled in the license-quota raj, isolating it from the world market. And then, when the era of globalisation arrived, the only path to import was taken.”
The timing of Modi’s words coincides with Trump’s aggressive immigration overhaul, which a U.S. official confirmed would elevate H-1B fees from under $1,000 to $100,000. This measure, part of a broader effort to shield domestic labor, aims to deter visa holders from suppressing wages for American-born employees. The U.S. allocates just 85,000 H-1B visas yearly via lottery, with Indian nationals claiming about 75% of them. Major tech giants depend heavily on these workers, many of whom shuttle between India and the U.S. or relocate permanently.
Opposition voices, including Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, have framed the fee hike as a “birthday return gift” to Modi from Trump, spotlighting its fallout for Indian workers and firms. As reported by Livemint, the policy shift has ignited debates on its ripple effects across bilateral ties and the global talent pipeline.