Trump H-1B Visas & Tariff War I Why Infosys Co-Founder Slams FM Sitharaman & Karnataka Govt I Barkha

On Barkha Dutt's show, investor Mohandas Pai had a frank take about the Indian economic system and governance even as he had kind words for Prime Minister Modi. On talent Brain drain, Pai said that the quality of life in India has downgraded for common citizens “with government schools doing very badly even after huge expenditure and elite populace giving up on the public system by sending their children abroad.” Returning Indian tech talent from the U.S. shouldn’t be counted on to help lead the sector into a new era, he wrote, suggesting that simply offering better salaries won’t bring them home in any large numbers.

Pai also lashed out at continuing “tax terrorism”, red tape in the RBI and slow reforms, noting that the gap between what is said and what gets done was ‘staggering’. Pushing for a 1991-style reform moment, Mr. Bajaj said there should be simplified taxes, slashed bureaucrats and more investment in innovation and startups — not subsidies.

His comments reflect the frustrations of entrepreneurs and professionals who love India but feel betrayed, even as the recent shock on H-1B visas allows for a renewed conversation about India’s economic strategy and self-reliance.