The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was established by the US Congress on November 3, 1961, with the aim of helping other countries improve in various areas. The war between the BJP and the Congress broke out after President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk announced on February 15 that he would stop providing about 182 crores of aid to increase the voting percentage in India.
The BJP tried to put Rahul Gandhi and the Congress in the dock by linking USAID with the NGO of American billionaire George Soros, but when the funding was investigated, the links of leaders associated with the BJP, former ministers as well as the NITI Aayog with USAID have come to light. Now the government is not telling what are the links between USAID and NITI Aayog schemes? Soon after the US stopped funding, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said that this funding is tantamount to external interference in India’s electoral process. Who benefits from this?
The Finance Ministry report has revealed that USAID had given India $750 million, i.e. about Rs 6,500 crore, in financial year 24. This fund was given to the Government of India for seven projects in India. None of these funds were for voting. The question is, have the lies of BJP, Prime Minister Modi and their people been caught now?
At least this is what the Congress has alleged that senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, citing the latest figures of the Finance Ministry, said that according to the Finance Ministry’s annual report for 2023-24, USAID was currently running seven projects in collaboration with the Government of India. Their total budget was around $750 million. None of these projects have anything to do with voting. All these projects were being run by and through the central government.
The ministry report said that a total of $97 million, or about Rs 825 crore, was given by the US Agency for International Development (US Aid) under seven projects for the financial year 2023-24. According to the finance ministry, these funds will be used for agriculture and food security programs; water, sanitation and health; renewable energy; disaster management and health-related projects. It is quite clear that none of these seven projects is related to voting. Let us tell you that earlier this month, a political controversy had erupted in the country when the Elon Musk-led DOGE allegedly cancelled $21 million, or about Rs 180 crore, in funds for voter turnout in India. After this, a political storm had erupted in the country. Ever since the US administration stopped funding, the BJP has been attacking the Congress over US aid funding in the elections. The BJP has also been accusing the Congress leadership of being agents of George Soros, who is known for his anti-India stance.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya claimed that this funding amounted to external interference in India’s electoral process. He posted on X that $21 million to increase voter turnout? This is definitely foreign interference in India’s electoral process. Who will benefit from this? Certainly not the ruling party!’ With this, Malviya linked the Congress and George Soros. He said, ‘In 2012, the Election Commission under the leadership of SY Qureshi signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.’ This organisation is affiliated with George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. It is mainly funded by US aid.
After being accused of linking the names of US Aid and Soros, the Congress has also been attacking the BJP continuously. It said that US aid funds are also coming to the Modi government and BJP leader Smriti Irani had worked for US Aid. The Congress alleged that Irani and the BJP are the ‘real agents’ of Soros. The Congress had last week said that Irani had served as a “goodwill ambassador” for US aid. In a post on X, Congress leader Priyank Kharge said that ‘according to the government website, Smriti Irani’s bio states that she had served as a goodwill ambassador for US Aid in India.’ He asked, ‘Does this mean that BJP politicians are the real agents of George Soros?’
However, US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly claimed that under the previous administration led by Joe Biden, US Aid had allocated $21 million to India for voter turnout. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also said on Saturday that the information given by the Trump administration is worrying and the government is investigating it. Congress on Sunday accused the BJP of doing anti-national work by spreading fake news from the US. It said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar will also have to answer why the government is silent when US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are repeatedly insulting India? Were funds really received for voter turnout?
Amid Trump’s repeated claims, the Washington Post report also said that there is no evidence that the $21 million, or about Rs 180 crore, was to be spent on voting in India or for any other purpose. The claim was made citing three people with knowledge of regional aid programs. The Washington Post wrote, “The US Department of Energy
, DOGE declined to comment on this news.’ The White House and the State Department did not respond. Officials of the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), through which such funds are spent, told the American newspaper that there is no record of a grant matching the DOGE description. We had a contract for $ 21 million, but it was not for India but for neighboring Bangladesh. The American official of CEPPS said that it looks like they are mixing up figures from other programs. We are very careful about elections in India.
The American official had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar will also have to answer why the government is silent when US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are repeatedly insulting India. Were funds really received for voter turnout? Amid Trump’s continued claims, the Washington Post report also said there was no evidence that the $21 million, or about Rs 180 crore, was to be spent on voting in India or for any other purpose. The claim was made citing three people with knowledge of regional aid programs.
The Washington Post wrote, “The US Department of Energy,
DOGE, declined to comment on this story.”
The White House and State Department did not respond. Officials at the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), through which such funds are spent, told the US newspaper that there was no record of a grant matching the DOGE’s description. We had a contract for $21 million, but it was not for India but for neighboring Bangladesh. “It seems they are mixing up data from other programs,” said the US official at CEPPS, adding that we know nothing about elections in India because we have never been involved in them.
A US official familiar with the aid programs had said that all of us at CEPPS were shocked to see this claim by the DOGE. The Washington Post wrote – This false claim is consistent with the BJP’s long-standing narrative that foreign powers, including the US, are working to undermine the Modi government and interfere in domestic affairs. On Twitter and other social platforms, some of the prime minister’s right-wing supporters have spread conspiracy theories about social investor George Soros and the ‘deep state’. The Indian Express also conducted an investigation and reported that no funds of $21 million reached India. The report said that records show that the $21 million was approved in 2022 for Bangladesh, not India. Of this, $13.4 million has already been disbursed.
The fact is that agencies like USAID, under the guise of philanthropy, maintain contact with political parties during elections in various countries. If the BJP is cornering the Congress, then its friendship with USAID is no less.
