JD(S) with Owaisi; Politics of chameleons
The public campaigning has ended for the assembly elections in state. Though the national leaders were seen too frequently in the public rallies, they couldn’t really deliberate about why their party should be voted to power. Prime Minister Modi even forgot the dignity of his Prime Ministerial position and spoke in all his rallies across the state. His Kannada speaking went terribly haywire with wrong terms and pronunciations. Yet he could not seek votes in the name of his party or explain why BJP should be voted to power in the state. On the other side, Congress party could at least put Siddaramaiah before the people owing to the personal and political integrity the CM has exhibited so far. Though Rahul Gandhi involved himself in the election rallies, his simplicity dulled out before Modi’s blatant shouting. Some even loved the uncomplicated person that Rahul is, even as a politician. But would this convert into votes, one never knows. The leaders of BJP sought votes in the name of Hindutva. Yeddyurappa seemed like a name sake leader. Though the PM kept mocking at Siddaramaiah as ‘Seeda Rupayya’ it almost felt like he was referring to Yeddyurappa.
JD(S) on the other hand, had Owaisi to back them in the publicity campaigns. Devegowda in all his speeches said “No matter who gets the majority, we will form the government”. It simply means, JD(S) would go truck with ANY party in the event of others not getting a clear mandate of majority.
There were times when people saw JD(S) as an alternative to mainstream the Congress and BJP. In the current context, JD(S) has surely lost its character owing to its opportunistic politics owing to the partnership it entered into with the BJP for power, during the last 20-20 agreement government. Today, there are rumours that JD(S) is even controlling the BJP from a distance. It is said that JD(S) is being nurtured by the BJP to ensure secular votes don’t go in the favour of Congress. This can be concluded with the fact that Devegowda having praised the RSS on some occasions. On one hand, Devegowda said the party would not go truck with BJP, and almost immediately after, Kumaraswamy gives another statement that could contradict what Devegowda has said. Hence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaps praises on Devegowda because he knows JD(S) can be used ‘as per convenience’ in the current elections.
On the same occasion, AIMM headed by Asaduddin Owaisi has extended its support to the JD(S). It is no secret that Owaisi’s party has been instigating people from different religions against each other, just the way as RSS and BJP do. There have been almost no occasions when Owaisi or his party trucked with the secular forces of the country. AIMM has always conducted itself in a way that has benefited the BJP. It’s participation in the electoral process in states such as Uttar Pradesh and others had given rise to a few suspicions that BJP and Owaisi had reached an understanding of sorts. Now, the JD(S) is also being rumoured to have done the same, in order to benefit the BJP. All parties that instigate people in the name of religion are the same. Hence secular parties must maintain distance from them. Ironically enough, JD(S) which lost its reputation when it went with BJP for power, is not whetting its luck with Owaisi on their side. Now it is anybody’s guess to see who would be benefited from this equation.
JD(S) hardly targeted Yeddyurappa in any of their campaigns. Instead, they continued to attack Siddaramaiah all along as if he is their personal enemy. Father-sons of the JD(S) did not open their mouth even when Narendra Modi derided the state in his speeches. JD(S) indirectly conceded with UP CM Adityanath in his insults against the state. The only focus of JD(S) is to ensure Siddaramaiah does not become the CM second time over. Should the Congress need even 10 seats to form the government, JD(S) would insist on keeping Siddaramaiah out of the CM’s chair. It is now evidently clear that JD(S) only has the interests of the supremo’s family in mind, and no values other than that. The election manifesto makes this more than evident that JD(S) is facing the elections only to stop Siddaramaiah from becoming second term CM. But that would be their ‘family requirement’ and nothing else. Having limited itself to some personal enemity, JD(S) may never be able to play a significant role in the current elections.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
