A political storm has erupted in India over claims of USAID funding for voter turnout, with former US President Donald Trump reiterating his assertion for the third consecutive day that $21 million was allocated to India. The controversy, which has fueled a fierce battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress, was further complicated by a media report stating that the funds in question were actually meant for Bangladesh, not India.
Trump, in his latest statement, repeated, “$21 million going to my friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India for voter turnout. We are giving $21 million for voter turnout in India. What about us? I want voter turnout too.” However, his remarks conflicted with a media report that claimed the $21 million USAID grant was designated for Bangladesh in 2022. The same report also noted that $13.4 million had already been disbursed to support political and civic engagement for students in Bangladesh ahead of the January 2024 elections.
The Congress party quickly latched onto the report to dismiss the BJP’s allegations of foreign interference in India’s electoral process. Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP of jumping to conclusions without verifying facts. Khera took to social media, stating, “Isn’t it anti-national of the BJP to immediately start pointing fingers at the opposition parties without first verifying facts?”
However, the BJP countered the opposition’s stance, highlighting Trump’s repeated claims and questioning the media report’s accuracy. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya attacked the Congress, calling the report “fake” and stating that it ignored past agreements between India’s Election Commission and international electoral bodies.
Malviya further pointed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2012 between the then Election Commission of India, led by SY Quraishi, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). He suggested that the Congress’s quick reliance on the media report indicated its desperation and alleged past involvement in allowing foreign entities to meddle in India’s democratic process.
The controversy gained further traction when the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on February 16 that it had canceled a series of foreign aid projects, including the purported $21 million for voter turnout in India. This announcement provided fresh ammunition for the BJP, which has been pressing the Congress on the issue.
Breaking its silence, the Indian government called the allegations “very deeply troubling.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that multiple Indian agencies were now scrutinizing the matter. “There are many departments and agencies in India that work with USAID. All these ministries and agencies are looking at this now,” an MEA spokesperson said at a media briefing on Friday.
As the political row intensifies, questions remain over the exact details of the USAID funding and whether India was indeed a recipient. With both sides doubling down on their claims, the controversy is unlikely to die down soon, further fueling an already heated election season in India.
