Saturday, March 29, 2025
‘Our biggest enemy is…’: PM Modi’s strong remarks amid H-1B visa move and Trump’s tariffs
During a public address in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of making India self-reliant and advancing the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. His comments came against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent order, which requires companies to pay $100,000 annually for every H-1B work visa.
Speaking at the ‘Samundar Se Samriddhi’ event at Gandhi Maidan, the Prime Minister focused on strengthening India’s maritime sector and reducing dependence on foreign countries.
PM Modi declared that India’s greatest adversary is not any other country, but its reliance on foreign nations.
“We have no greater enemy in the world. Our only true enemy is our dependence on other countries. This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat it,” he said.
He stressed that “the greater the dependence on others, the greater the failure of a nation.” Modi underlined that self-reliance was crucial not only for India’s progress but also for maintaining global peace, stability, and prosperity, especially in the world’s most populous country.
Highlighting upcoming reforms in the maritime sector, the Prime Minister announced plans to streamline port documentation:
“We are introducing new reforms for Indian ports. ‘One Nation, One Document’ and ‘One Nation, One Port Process’ will make trade easier,” he said.
Discussing the range of products India must focus on, Modi said:
“From chips to ships, we must make everything in India.”
He called self-reliance the “only medicine” for all of India’s challenges.
Modi hailed Indian ports as the backbone of the country, playing a vital role in India’s rise as a global maritime power. He said his government had taken a historic step by recognizing large ships as essential infrastructure to strengthen India’s maritime sector.
Taking a swipe at previous Congress-led governments, he said they had suppressed Indian talent by imposing restrictive policies like the “License Raj.”
Modi cited the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, built from Indian steel, as a shining example of the country’s capabilities.
“Over 40 ships and submarines have been commissioned, and except for a few, all were built in India,” he said.
He also pointed to India’s heavy annual spending on foreign shipping firms:
“India pays nearly ₹6 lakh crore every year to foreign companies for transporting goods worldwide — almost equal to our defense budget,” the Prime Minister noted.
