 "U.S. President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk as they arrive for a joint news conference after bilateral talks, February 25, 2020. File Photo/Reuters")
The Indian government on Friday (February 21) raised concerns over claims made by US President Donald Trump that United States Agency for International Development (USAID) may have tried to influence India’s electoral process.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press briefing that the remarks were “deeply troubling” and added that Indian authorities were examining the matter.
Elon Musk’s Doge department had claimed a few days back that USAID had allocated $21 million for boosting voter turnout in India, triggering a massive political storm in the South Asian nation.
“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,” the MEA spokesperson stated.
“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 it, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently,” he added.
‘A kickback scheme’
Earlier on Thursday, while addressing the Republican Governors Association meeting in Washington DC, Trump suggested that pumping money into India could be related to a “kickback scheme”.
“Can you imagine all that money going to India. I wonder what they think when they get it. It’s a kickback scheme. It’s not like they spend it. They kick it back to the people that I would say in many cases,” Trump said during the address.
Trump also hinted at the USAID’s alleged interference in India’s elections. “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.
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Following Trump’s remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya asserted that the money may have been used to “sustain deep-state assets” in India “who work to defend and deflect such revelations.”
“A day after US President Donald Trump spoke about $21 million being sent to India for voter turnout, he has reiterated the charge. And no, he is not confusing it with the $29 million funneled into Bangladesh. This time, he has also mentioned kickbacks. Essentially, this money is also used to sustain deep-state assets who work to defend and deflect such revelations. We are now witnessing the same pattern unfold in India,” Malviya added.
Opposition Congress was quick to fire back, saying what were the security agencies of the country doing under the PM Narendra Modi’s government.
“For the past week, a story has been running that USAID gave $21 million to destabilize the Narendra Modi government. If despite having so many security agencies, Modi government allowed 21 million dollars to enter India, then it is a matter of shame. At the same time, when Modi government was asked a question about this, they said that this money came in 2012 during the UPA regime. In such a situation, did BJP win in 2014 with this money?” said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.