Deeply troubling, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday on the information “put out by the US administration regarding certain USA activities and funding”.
US President Donald Trump’s recent allegation that American aid funds were being used to interfere in India’s electoral process have sparked a political row.
Donald Trump’s remarks came days after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk disclosed that USAID contributed USD 21 million to the Election Commission to boost voter turnout in India.
On February 16, DOGE listed items on which the “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent” and the list included “USD 21M for voter turnout in India.” DOGE noted that all of the items have been cancelled.
“We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain USA activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage, so relevant authorities are looking into, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday on Trump’s remark that ‘USAID’s 21 Million to India to “get someone else elected”.
US President Donald Trump once again hit out at the now cancelled $21 million fund for ‘voter turnout’ in India, calling it a “kickback scheme”.
While addressing the Republican Governors Association meeting in Washington DC on Thursday, Trump said,”$21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India turnout? We got enough problems. We want our own turnout.”
