New Delhi: Donald Trump’s allegations of the United States Agency for International Development’s $21 million funding for voter turnout efforts in India has sparked a political feud between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on whether the funds were for India or Bangladesh and when were the funds used.
The BJP has suggested the funds were used in 2012 and demanded a detailed investigation into the so-called “deep state” influence on Indian institutions during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. On the other hand, the Congress has rejected the BJP’s accusations and questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s assertions.
Trump’s remarks came after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on 16 February, cancelled the humanitarian aid agency USAID’s funding for several projects, including “$21m for voter turnout in India” and a separate “$29M to strenghening political landscape in Bangladesh”.
Days before the DOGE cuts, PM Narendra Modi met Trump and Musk in Washington.
At the Republican Governors’ Conference Friday, Trump supported the slashing of the USAID funding, saying, “Why are we caring about India turnout? We have enough problems.” “It’s a kickback scheme, you know,” he said without giving details.
However, according to a news report in The Indian Express, the USAID allocated $21 million for Bangladesh—not India—for use over three years till July 2025, with $13.4 million of it already spent. The BJP, however, has dismissed the IE report, calling it a “fake story”.
According to Congress leaders, “If USAID’s $21 million got used in 2012, did Modi’s rise to power in 2014 come with the help of USAID or Ford Foundation money?” The party has further accused the BJP of spreading a false narrative, which Trump first concocted.
During a press conference Friday, Congress leader Pawan Khera criticised the BJP for rushing to make accusations without confirming facts. “Isn’t it anti-national for the BJP to point fingers at the Opposition without, first, verifying the facts?” he asked. “The BJP was in the Opposition for a long time and sought external help to destabilise governments in the past,” he counter-alleged.
Khera further said: “For the past week, a false narrative has been spread on US aid of $21 million being used to destabilise PM Modi. Where are India’s security agencies, such as IB (Intelligence Bureau) and R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing)? If $21 million could come into India, it’s a slap in the face of the BJP.”
According to the Congress leaders, with backing from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the USAID and the Ford Foundation supported the 2011-12 Anna Hazare movement, culminating in a concerted effort to destabilise the UPA government in 2013.
Demanding a white paper to get to the truth behind any foreign influence, the Congress has pointed out that the RSS has, historically, sought external support to challenge its power, dating back to ‘sarsanghchalak‘ M.S. Golwalkar’s times.
Taking to X on Friday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote that the whole narrative was a lie, fabricated in Washington, then amplified by the BJP, and finally, debated on ‘godi media’. Referring to The Indian Express report, he wrote: “Now the lie has been completely exposed. Will the liars apologise?”
On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya, in a post on X Friday, questioned the foreign ties of the Congress, pointing out “a MoU signed between the Election Commission of India—under the leadership of S.Y. Quraishi—and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an organisation linked to George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, which is primarily funded by USAID”. Malviya also claimed that the Indian Express report ignored USAID funding since 2014, allegedly meant for interference in India’s election process.
BJP’s Gaurav Bhatia, in his posts on X, accused Gandhi of seeking foreign help to defeat Modi. He also connected Rahul Gandhi’s speech on the undoing of India’s democracy in London before the 2024 general election to seeking foreign interference in India’s democracy, and the alleged role of a “Western deep state” in India.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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