September 20, 2025

Hold onto your hats, because Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi just threw a political firecracker! On Saturday, he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy after US President Donald Trump imposed a massive $100,000 fee on H-1B visas. This sudden hike could mean the end of the famous American dream for thousands of Indian tech workers, especially from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Owaisi didn’t hold back. Taking to X, he asked, “What did you achieve with Howdy Modi and Namaste Trump?”—referencing the big events held in the US and India where Modi and Trump met with crowds of NRIs. “All those NRIs that you gathered in the Madison Square Garden, what did that achieve?” he challenged. Why does this matter so much? Owaisi pointed out that over 70% of H-1B recipients are Indians, and people from Telangana and Andhra have been the biggest winners. He explained, “The average annual salary for Indian H-1B holders is ~$120,000 primarily in the tech industry. For families back home, these salaries translate into a source of income, contributing significantly to India’s $125 billion remittance inflow.” Telangana and Andhra Pradesh alone account for 37% of Indian NRI deposits. With this steep visa fee, “a major source of intergenerational mobility has been closed,” Owaisi said bitterly. But who is to blame? Throwing a birthday punch, Owaisi took a sly dig at Modi’s phone call from Trump on Modi’s birthday. “Birthday wishes are not foreign policy successes... We are a strategic partner of the US, and if they don’t see us as allies, then it is a failure of this government,” he posted. Owaisi also brought up other concerns hinting at India’s vulnerable spot in global politics: the high US tariffs on Indian goods, strong US-Pakistan ties, and even the recent Pakistan-Saudi Arabia security deal. “These could not have happened without US’s blessings,” he said. “Is it because you have reduced these issues to gimmicks? After all, it’s not Modi who suffers, but common Indians,” he said, accusing Modi of sacrificing long-term gains for flashy domestic effects. He declared the decade from 2014 to 2024 as “a lost decade.” Joining the chorus, the Congress party labeled Modi as “weak,” while Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal said it seemed like Modi was “not capable of doing anything” about these crises. With Telangana and Andhra’s futures at stake, this debate on Modi’s foreign policy is heating up like never before. Will Modi’s government answer these sharp questions, or let the American dream slip away for thousands of Indian techies?

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Tags: Asaduddin owaisi, H-1b visa, Narendra modi, Us-india relations, Telangana, Andhra pradesh,