NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday slammed the central government after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000, calling the foreign policy “weak.”Addressing a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav claimed that India is dependent on other nations for goods, including oil, and alleged several mistakes in handling the economy. “Investment was raised in Uttar Pradesh; Infosys, Samsung, and other companies came to UP. It is not the first time America has behaved in such a manner. Our foreign policy is weak. What is the preparation if other nations do the same?” he said. He further added, “After the WTO, other mistakes are being made due to which we are not looking economically strengthened. We are dependent on other countries for everything, including oil. The list is long. We are still doing business with a country that has taken away our land many times.” Akhilesh’s criticism comes after the US President on Friday (US time) issued a new presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers” that introduces a major overhaul to the H-1B visa programme, imposing a steep USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications, raising fresh questions about whether this is a much-needed correction or a potentially crippling blow to America’s tech talent pipeline. The move is likely to affect Indians looking for jobs in the technology and IT sectors in the US and has led to strong criticism from the Opposition. Earlier, Congress leader Pawan Khera criticised PM Modi’s silence on the issue and claimed that US President Donald Trump insults India every day. The Congress leader also claimed that if the Prime Minister announced on the floor that Trump is a liar, the whole country would have supported him. “Trump is insulting us every day. But the PM is silent. Rahul Gandhi gave him an opportunity to say on the Floor of the House that Trump is a liar. If he said that, the country would have stood with him. Today, the entire country is questioning the PM,” Khera told ANI. He stated that Rahul Gandhi warned PM Modi in 2017 about a potential H-1B-like order, but PM Modi did nothing. “This is not a new development. On 5 July 2017, Rahul Gandhi tweeted and alerted PM Modi that this was going to happen and do something. But he was a weak PM back then and even today. You have the result today… Crores of youth of this country are going to face a loss,” said Khera.
