Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party President, has strongly criticized the BJP government regarding the recent increase in visa fees by the United States. He believes that the current foreign policy of India is in a state of emergency under the BJP’s leadership. Yadav stated that the government has failed to protect the country from unfavorable tariffs and visa charges.
He also accused the central government of failing to safeguard Indian citizens abroad from instances of violence. Yadav expressed his views on social media platform X, critiquing the BJP’s approach to foreign policy.
He mentioned the government’s inability to adhere to India’s historical policy of non-alignment and to sustain positive relations with its neighboring countries. Yadav highlighted the mistreatment faced by Indian expatriates, including instances of being handcuffed and humiliated publicly. He claimed that the government has failed to protect them from violent incidents. He also mentioned that no other country has supported India on the issue of terrorism, and the BJP government has completely sidelined foreign policy.
The Samajwadi Party leader criticized the central government over the US’s decision to increase H1-B visa fees, which is set to impact many Indians.
He stated, “Your foreign policy has been unsuccessful abroad. Your economic strategies have not worked, and you have not been able to establish good relationships.”
Furthermore, Yadav attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging that he prefers guns over education. Yadav said that the visa situation for Indians would only improve with a change in the central government.
This follows the declaration by US President Donald Trump, which will see the H-1B visa fees increase up to $1,00,000 USD (88 lakh rupees) annually. This is one of the Trump administration’s moves to crack down on immigration, and it is expected to affect many Indian professionals.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the H-1B non-immigrant visa program is one of the most abused visa systems in the country’s current immigration system, and that the increase in visa fees is intended to allow entry into the US to only highly skilled workers who work in areas where Americans are not employed.