Tharoor declines to comment on discussions with CPI(M), leaders dismiss move
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that he has seen reports claiming that he had held discussions with persons associated with the CPI(M) in Dubai, but declined to comment on the matter.
While the ruling CPI (M) dismissed questions about any discussion on Tharoor joining the party as mere speculation, the Congress said he is a senior leader, any issues he had would be resolved and denied he was quitting the grand old organisation.
Tharoor, who is currently attending a literature festival in Dubai, was approached by reporters seeking his response to the reports on Sunday.
He said he saw the reports during his flight to Dubai and that it would not be appropriate to comment on such matters while being in a foreign country.
Speculation about the Thiruvananthapuram MP possibly switching to another political party surfaced following reports that he was upset over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not adequately acknowledging him at a recent event in Kochi and over alleged repeated attempts by party leaders in the state to sideline him.
Reacting to the developments, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Monday dismissed questions about any discussion on Tharoor joining the party as mere speculation, saying such reports had no relevance.
"Tharoor continues to be a prominent leader of the Congress. He follows a different approach of regularly praising the BJP Prime Minister. In such a situation, I do not think rumours of him joining the CPI(M) are relevant," Govindan said.
When asked whether there would be any obstacle to accepting Tharoor if he decided to switch to the CPI(M), Govindan said the party followed a common rule of accepting individuals, groups or parties who were willing to oppose communal forces in national politics and approve of the development policies of the Left Front in the state.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, said he was unaware that Tharoor had caused any problem for the Congress.
"You give various reports and come to us for a response. What can I say about it," the senior Congress leader asked.
He said Tharoor was a senior party leader and that any issues, if at all, would be resolved.
"“If he has any complaint, the national leadership will examine it and we will bring it to their notice," he said.
UDF convener Adoor Prakash said Tharoor was a member of the Congress Working Committee and very much a party man.
He said it was wrong to project that Tharoor was leaving the Congress.
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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.
