India said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) $21 million fund for ‘voter turnout in India’ in 2012, “raises worries of interference in Indian internal matters, and relevant agencies are looking into it.”
The Ministry of External Affairs’ response to the $21 million ‘India Fund’ sanctioned by USAID came after a political clash between Congress and the BJP. Both parties have termed it “external interference in India’s electoral process.”
X CEO and Tesla Founder, Elon Musk-led, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the agency auditing several government agencies in the US and cutting wasteful expenditure – posted last week that they identified $486 million to the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” including $22 million for “inclusive and participatory political process” in Moldova and $21 million for voter turnout in India.”
Political Row
Congress’ Pawan Khera hit back at the BJP’s Amit Malviya, who attacked the opposition party over the $21 million grant; “This definitely is external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party (the BJP) for sure!” he said.
Mr Khera’s response pointed out that in 2012, when the grant was allegedly made, the Congress (at the head of the United Progressive Alliance) was in power, not the BJP.
“… in 2012, when the Election Commission got this funding from USAID, the ruling party was the Congress. So, by his logic: Ruling party was sabotaging its electoral prospects by getting this so called ‘external interference’. And the opposition (BJP) won the 2014 election because of Soros/USAID.”
Not just Mr Malviya but BJP’s Nalin Kohli also asked Congress “Why would any US agency wish to give $21 million for election-related work in India? Would that not amount to interference in India’s electoral process?”
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, who led the poll panel from July 2010 to June 2012, refuted the claims by the BJP leaders and said, In 2012 there was a MoU, or Memorandum of Understanding, with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, or IFES, similar to those the poll body had signed earlier and still entered into, and were meant to train resources ahead of elections.
“Any mention of any funds in connection with this MoU is completely false and malicious,” he said.
Donald Trump Questions Move
US President Donald Trump, who created the DOGE office, questioned former President Joe Biden’s move to provide $21 million to India and asked whether they “were trying to get someone elected.”
“Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government… This is a total breakthrough,” he said.
“In less than a single month, DOGE has already saved over $55 billion – and we’re just getting started… We will rapidly grow our economy by dramatically shrinking the federal government,” Donald Trump has said.
The DOGE also said that another $29 million was slated for “strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh” – a country that witnessed a massive political change last year when sitting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power through a student-led revolution and putting Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in her place.
Ms Hasina alleged that foreign powers were behind the uproar in Bangladesh that even forced her to flee her country.