US President Donald Trump has questioned the United States’ decision to allocate $21 million for voter turnout efforts in India, suggesting it was an attempt to influence the election. “Why do we need to spend USD 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected,” Trump remarked.
The statement has led to a war of words between Congress and the BJP.
While Congress has demanded a white paper on the US agency’s support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India over the decades, BJP has alleged that USAID funding to India was a “reaffirmation” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls campaign that foreign powers were trying to stop him from coming to power.
Let’s take a detailed look.
What Did Donald Trump Allege?
Donald Trump questioned the purpose of providing USD 21 million to India for “voter turnout”. On February 16, the DOGE, led by Elon Musk, listed items on which “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent” and list included “USD 21M for voter turnout in India”.
DOGE noted that all of the items have been cancelled.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump remarked, “USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we giving USD 21 million to India? They got a lot of money there. One of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us. We can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high.”
BJP Reiterates Modi’s Foreign Influence Claim
BJP said Donald Trump’s latest remarks on USAID funding to India was a “reaffirmation” of PM Modi’s assertion during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls campaign that foreign powers were trying to stop him from coming to power.
Rahul Gandhi has aligned himself with global networks seeking to undermine India’s strategic and geopolitical interests while “acting as a tool for foreign agencies”, alleged BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya.
Amit Malviya in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), said PM Modi had warned of foreign influence, not once, but on multiple occasions during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaigns.
Targeting Congress, Amit Malviya alleged that ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi was in London in March 2023, “urging foreign powers”, from the US to Europe, to intervene in India’s internal affairs.
“He has aligned himself with global networks seeking to undermine India’s strategic and geopolitical interests acting as a tool for foreign agencies,” the BJP leader charged.
Congress Demands White Paper
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “USAID is very much in the news these days. It was set up on November 3, 1961. Claims being made by the US President are typically nonsensical to say the least.”
“Even so, the Government of India should bring out a White Paper at the earliest detailing USAID’s support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India over the decades,” the Congress leader said.
The Congress also dubbed Donald Trump’s claims related to USAID as “nonsensical”.
