CPM Asks Lokesh to Raise H-1B Job Fears During US Trip

VIJAYAWADA: CPM Andhra Pradesh state secretary V. Srinivasa Rao has urged education minister Nara Lokesh to use his ongoing US tour to address the serious job insecurity faced by Telugu professionals and students living in America on H-1B and other visa categories.

In a letter, Srinivasa Rao said Lokesh, who is visiting the US from December 6 to 10 to mobilise investments, should also engage with US officials and major technology firms over layoffs affecting Indian particularly Andhra-origin employees and MS students.

He said lakhs of Telugu IT workers are living in “constant anxiety” as multinational firms such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, IBM and Amazon have been removing staff in large numbers, while Indian IT companies including TCS, Wipro and Infosys are also downsizing.

The CPM leader reminded Lokesh that the same Telugu diaspora strongly supported Chandrababu Naidu when he was arrested, and even campaigned for the TDP in 2024. “They now feel hurt that neither assurance nor empathy is coming from your government,” he wrote.

Srinivasa Rao also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not taking up H-1B concerns in talks with former US President Donald Trump or initiating any steps to secure Indians working abroad.

He appealed to Lokesh to leverage his links with the Indian government, US authorities and corporate leaders to ensure the safety and job continuity of Andhra-origin IT workers during his US visit.