 "Watch | What PM Modi said on foreign meddling in Indian elections as Trump hints at USAID interference")
Following the claim by the Donald Trump administration of the United States that $21 million were allocated to boost voter turnout in India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speeches last year in which he had alleged foreign election interference.
Sharing a video of Modi’s speech, BJP’s information unit chief Amit Malviya said on X: “On April 24, 2024, in Sarguja, Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other issues, spoke about foreign powers attempting to install a weak coalition of the I.N.D.I. Alliance in Delhi.”
Malviya’s post comes hours after Trump at an event referred to the alleged grant and suggested that the previous Joe Biden administration might have been trying to get someone else installed as India’s premier in place of Modi.
On April 24, 2024, in Sarguja, Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other issues, spoke about foreign powers attempting to install a weak coalition of the I.N.D.I. Alliance in Delhi.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 20, 2025
There were several other such instances. pic.twitter.com/maf0axk77m
When Modi referred to foreign interference
Following the allegations from Doge and Trump, the BJP has brought the attention to the times Modi mentioned foreign interference in his speeches.
At an election rally in April 2014, Modi said “big and powerful people in India and abroad have joined hands to remove me from power".
At a rally in May, Mod said that “there is an attempt by some in the world to influence our elections".
“They are not just giving their opinions but are trying to influence our polls. But they will not be successful,” said Modi at the time.
At another rally, Modi said that a foreign hand was trying to o “weaken India" and “some countries and institutions don’t like the rise of India". He further said that “when the country is moving fast, some countries and some institutions don’t like it".
Modi further said, “There are many people who don’t like a strong India. They want the country and its government to be weak, so that they can make profits easily.”
At the start of the Budget session of the parliament this year, Modi said that said that there was no “foreign spark” to derail the session after many years.
‘I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected’
At an event in Miami, Florida, Trump sugged that the previous Biden administration might have been trying to get someone other than Modi elected as the premier.
Trump went on to praise Modi and said that he will take up the issue with the Indian government.
“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 because when we hear that Russia spent about $2,000 in our country, it was a big deal — they took some internet ads for $2,000. This is a total breakthrough…I have a lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. He just left, as you know, two days ago. But we’re giving $21 million for voter turnout. It’s voter turnout in India,” said Trump.
#WATCH | Miami, Florida | Addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit, US President Donald Trump says, "... 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… pic.twitter.com/oxmk6268oW
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2025
It is not know who the amount was allocated to what exactly was the purpose of the grant.
The allegation regarding the grant stems from Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency’s (Doge) claim that it “cancelled” an allocation of $21 million for “voter turnout in India”. No further informationw was provided.
Even as Musk has been calling for transparency in governance, the Doge has been functioning opaquely and putting out vague posts on X and making huge claims. There is no clarity who is running Doge or what powers Doge has or who is ordering thse purported cancellation of grants. While it was previously understood that Musk was the head of Doge, the White House this week said in a court filing that Musk was not the head of Doge and that he had no decision-making power.
It is also not clear if the grant was merely allocated or it was granted to the intended recipient.
US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025
- $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
- $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
- $2.3M for "strengthening…
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