The Trump administration in the US has made a major change to the H-1B visa policy, increasing the application fee to approximately ₹8.8 million (approximately $8.8 million). Shashi Tharoor stated that the Indian-American community's "silence" regarding the US policy change is "surprising" and that they should come forward and speak out against it.
The issue of the Indian-American community's silence also arose during the meeting.
A parliamentary panel on Tuesday raised the issue of recent adverse US decisions against India before a delegation of US lawmakers, and the Indian-American community's silence on these developments also came up during the discussion.
Shashi Tharoor, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, said after the meeting that one of the issues raised by the panel members, including those from both the ruling and opposition parties, was why the Indian-American community was "so silent on all this." Some members of the US delegation, led by Indian-origin Ami Bera, also agreed with this view.
Tharoor said, "I want to emphasize that one of the issues we've raised is why the Indian-American community has been so silent on all this. One congressman said his office hasn't received a single phone call from any Indian-American voter asking them to support the policy change. This is astonishing."
Tharoor said, "You have to fight and speak for this."
He further said, "We all need to reach out to the Indian-American community and tell them that if you care about your relationship with the motherland, you have to fight and speak for it, and do more to pressure your political representatives to stand up for India." He said that the visiting US congressmen are friends of India and have good thoughts about the country.
Some lawmakers said that US representatives noted the strength and resilience of the Indian economy and appreciated the contributions of the Indian community, amid concerns raised by the Trump administration's decision to increase the H-1B visa fee to US$100,000.
The meeting also discussed Iran's Chabahar port.
The meeting also raised the issues of US sanctions exemptions for Iran's Chabahar port, which is being developed by India, and the 50 percent tariff on Indian goods. Some US lawmakers criticized Trump for these decisions.
Tharoor said that the most important message that emerged from these decisions was that the majority of American public opinion, including the US Congress, remained strongly committed to India relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries.
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