Washington: American newspaper Washington Post has rejected the claim of US President Donald Trump, in which he said that India was given funding of $ 21 million (about Rs 180 crore) from US agency USAID for voter awareness. This report has given a new twist to the ongoing political war between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress in India. Congress has used this disclosure as a new weapon to attack the BJP. The newspaper said in its report that no such program is on record.
The Washington Post has published a news titled ‘How a false claim of DOGE created a political storm in India’. The report said that actually this fund was for Bangladesh. The report quoted USAID officials as saying that no amount was given by the US for any election-related project in India. Earlier, the Indian Express had also published a similar report, which said that since 2008, India has not received any funding from USAID for any election project. The report triggered a political war of words between the BJP and the Congress.
Following the Washington Post report, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera lashed out at the BJP and its supporters, saying the revelations were an “eye-opener” for them. “Regarding this so-called US funding, the Washington Post has revealed that no such program existed and no funds came to India. The BJP and its blind supporters should now reconsider their claims,” Khera tweeted. The BJP had accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of seeking foreign aid to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The controversy began after Elon Musk-led DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) claimed that a $21 million grant to “increase voter turnout” in India had been cancelled. According to the report, this money was actually given under the USAID-funded Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), but no such program was operating in India.
Donald Trump fueled the issue by saying that this fund would have been used to interfere in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said, “Why are we spending $ 21 million to increase voter participation in India? Maybe they (Biden administration) wanted someone else to win. We should tell the Indian government this.” However, the Washington Post report has completely rejected Trump’s claim. A US official said, “We were surprised to see this claim. We have no information about elections in India, because we have not done any such participation.” Another official said that DOGE may have presented the amount of different programs by messing it up.
Earlier, the Indian government has expressed concern over this matter. Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday, “This information coming from the US administration is extremely disturbing. We are investigating it.” However, the government has so far refrained from issuing a detailed statement.