NIA IGNORES ARNAB, GOES AFTER FARMERS
The Centre is handling the farmers agitation in a very muddled manner. In the beginning, the government humiliated farmers by terming them ‘khalistanis’ and ‘terrorists.’ Later, BJP leaders clarified that the ‘protestors are not terrorists or khalistanis’. When all attempts to repress the protests using the police force failed, the government pretended to hold discussions. When farmers refused to budge from their stand, the government conspired to stop their protest through the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court not only considered the protest seriously but also criticized the government’s behavior harshly. But the farmers realized that even this criticism was a ploy.
The committee constituted by the Supreme Court to hold talks with farmers comprised members who had already supported the agricultural policies. The Supreme Court’s objective was also to temporarily halt the farmers protests. Now, the farmers are adamant that they would hold tractor rallies on Republic Day. For the first time in the country, Republic Day would be celebrated in two ways. One by the government and the other the one being celebrated by the farmers or common citizens. As soon as farmers realized the insidious drama behind the Supreme Court’s ruling, the government revealed its true face.
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) issued summons to Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society President Baldev Singh Sirsaa who is playing a significant role in the farmers protest. Apparently, NIA is conducting the investigation on the suspicion that he has connections with banned organization ‘Sikhs For Justice.’ This means that the government is making preparations to imprison farmers in the same manner in which it termed those who participated in protests against CAA as terrorists and imprisoned them.
Ironically, Baldev Singh Sirsa was part of the talks between the Centre and farmer organizations. What can the government achieve by holding talks with farmer leaders, at the same time leveling allegations of terrorism and terrorist activities, and ordering investigation? If Baldev Singh Sirsa was a suspected terrorist, how did the government invite him for talks? Through this investigation, the government is trying to project the entire protest as a conspiracy against the country. By making such allegations, possibilities of deflecting the farmers protests onto a dangerous path are rife. Not only Baldev Singh, the government has started the process of filing unnecessary and baseless charges against protesting farmers all across the country.
According to the government, it is a crime to encourage farmers to conduct protests. No other previous government had projected farmer and labour protests as criminal offences. Protesting against the government democratically is the right of the common man. In fact, the government has on several occasions appealed to gun wielding terrorist organizations to ‘give up weapons and protest democratically.’ But in the present context, the government believes that democratic protests also lead to anarchy. It is high time the government first obtains clarity about whether the protestors are farmers or extremists.
If they are indeed terrorists, there will not be any necessity of holding talks with them. If the government regards them as farmers and holds talks, it should listen to their objections against the farm laws. When the farmers are proclaiming that they see no value in the new laws, the government should say that ‘we do not need the laws that farmers don’t want’ and stand in support of the farmers. But today, it is the government that is provoking the farmers through its anti-agricultural policies. If a situation of anarchy has been created by farmers, the government should take complete onus. If the NIA intends to investigate those responsible for creating such a situation, it should first investigate forces within the government.
Yet another farce has unfolded in the country. An allegation against Republic TV Chief Arnab Goswami over the alleged leak of classified defence information is creating a sensation all over the country. He is facing the charge of ‘celebrating Pulwama attacks’ three days before the Balakot surgical strike. How can we have faith in defence forces if an ordinary journalist is privy to information about the most secretive ‘surgical strike’ operation and makes preparations to use that information to boost TRP ratings? Arnab not only celebrates the death of soldiers in the Pulwama attack but talks about ‘Modi’s election victory’ as though he was aware of the electoral impact of the attack even before the attack took place. Even to this day, the army has not responded to questions around the Balakot attack.
There have been no answers to the questions over the number of terrorists who have actually died in the attack. Widespread allegations were heard that bombs were thrown over hilly areas and such raids were termed as surgical strikes. The leaked WhatsApp chats of Arnab is giving a boost to such allegations. Arnab who is facing such serious allegations has neither been arrested nor questioned by the NIA in this episode. On the contrary, it is trying to identify extremist elements among farmers who are protesting. The country is watching the moves of the NIA carefully. It is not difficult for the people of the country to guess who the NIA is trying to protect. The hypocritical and biased actions of the NIA proves that the country’s security is in real danger.
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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.
