New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump raised the H-1B visa fees from the earlier range of ₹1–6 lakh to an unprecedented ₹88 lakh.
Calling it a “direct assault” on Indian doctors, engineers, and other professionals in the US, AAP leaders said the hike effectively closes America’s doors to Indian talent.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), urged Prime Minister Modi to intervene.
“Prime Minister ji, do something. Why is the Prime Minister of 140 crore people so helpless? Is nothing under your control?” Kejriwal wrote.
प्रधान मंत्री जी, कुछ तो करो।
140 करोड़ लोगों का प्रधान मंत्री आख़िर इतना बेबस क्यों है?
क्या आपसे कुछ भी संभल नहीं रहा है? #h1bvisa
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 20, 2025
Senior AAP leader and Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia accused the government of failing to protect the interests of Indians abroad.
“America has increased the H-1B visa fees for Indian professionals to ₹88 lakh. Earlier, this fee used to be between ₹1 lakh and ₹ 6 lakh, but it has been suddenly increased to such a high amount. Indian professionals who were once welcomed by America and European countries with open arms are now being almost shut out,” he said.
Sisodia added that while Modi celebrates personal greetings from Trump, he has remained silent on the issue.
“On his birthday, the Prime Minister beams with happiness when he receives a phone call from Trump and even tweets about how pleased he feels. But after this heavy blow on Indian professionals, the country also wants to know through a tweet how the Prime Minister feels about it,” he said.
AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged the hike was aimed at forcing Indians out of the US workforce.
“More than 70% of those working on H-1B visas in America are Indians. Now this fee has been increased so that Indians working in America are forced to return to India. Why has Trump developed so much resentment towards Indians that he wants to send back educated doctors, engineers, and management experts? This is a matter of concern,” he said.
AAP leaders claimed the Modi government’s failure to respond exposes India’s vulnerability in protecting its professionals abroad, especially in the face of drastic policy changes by the US administration.
