“Failing diplomacy of Mr. Modi”: Priyank Kharge slams centre after US bars tech majors from Green Card program

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday reacted to the suspension of the US Permanent Labor Certification (Green Card) programme for major IT firms, saying Indian IT companies will have to be better prepared.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday reacted to the suspension of the US Permanent Labor Certification (Green Card) programme for major IT firms, saying Indian IT companies will have to be better prepared. Speaking on the issue, Kharge said, “The American administration’s decision to suspend Permanent Labor Certification for major IT companies is a complex issue. While temporarily they might not have many repercussions, I think the IT companies of India will have to be better prepared for the way forward, and this will result in higher skill retention rates. It will definitely be more expensive to operate overseas.”

Highlighting a possible upside, he said, “But I see a flip side of possibly climbing up the value chain, with more high-end jobs coming to where talent is, that is India, and more particularly Bangalore.” Kharge also targeted the Centre over its foreign policy. “The most underlying point that needs to be addressed here is the continued failing diplomacy of Mr. Modi,” he said.

Referring to the India-US trade deal, he added, “The India-U.S. trade deal has not been fair to us. I don’t understand how the deep friendship of Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump is actually helping India.” His remarks came after US Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling on Thursday announced the suspension of major technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme (PERM).

The companies include Indian IT firms Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro and HCLTech, along with Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe. The US Labour Department attributed the suspensions to multiple active federal investigations. The action freezes new and pending PERM-based green-card sponsorship applications at the affected companies. The programme is a step through which employers can sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. The move has created uncertainty for employees seeking permanent residency in the US and companies planning their long-term staffing.

US Vice President JD Vance also criticised the H-1B visa programme, saying it was intended to bring the best foreign workers into the country for positions that could not be filled by American workers. "Unfortunately, the program has become rife with fraud," he said.

The green-card sponsorship freeze does not itself stop H-1B applications under the usual rules. (ANI)