Overview

• On September 20, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi government of accepting damaging "birthday return gifts" from the United States after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call with President Donald Trump.
• Kharge pointed to the Trump administration’s announced $100,000 annual H-1B visa fee and warned it would fall hardest on Indian IT workers, who account for roughly 70% of H-1B holders.
• He claimed a 50% tariff on Indian goods is already in effect, estimating losses of Rs 2.17 lakh crore across 10 sectors.
• He argued the HIRE Act targets Indian outsourcing companies and said lifting exemptions for India’s use of Iran’s Chabahar port undercuts strategic interests.
• Calling "bear hugs" and "hollow slogans" poor substitutes for policy, Kharge urged a diplomacy that keeps national interest paramount over spectacle.