Trump claims US funds for India may be used to get somebody else elected
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The United States President Donald Trump has alleged that the previous US administration sought to influence elections in India by directing $21 million to a non-profit organisation for voter mobilisation, suggesting that the funds were intended to support a political alternative.
While speaking at an event in Miami, he questioned the necessity of such expenditure, drawing a comparison to allegations of foreign interference in American elections. However, he did not provide details on when the funds were disbursed or any evidence to substantiate his claims.
The issue surfaced following the US Department of Government Efficiency’s recent decision to revoke multiple international aid initiatives through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is responsible for foreign assistance programmes.
Led by billionaire Elon Musk, the US department announced the cancellation of grants, including the controversial $21 million allocated for voter turnout efforts in India. The funds were reportedly part of a broader $486 million grant package directed towards the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening, which comprises organisations engaged in supporting elections and political transitions globally.
However, specific details regarding the intended recipient of these funds in India remain undisclosed.
The decision to withdraw these funds comes amid a broader review of USAID expenditures initiated by Trump in January, imposing a 90-day freeze on the organisation’s disbursements pending scrutiny by the US State Department.
Following the cancellation, the ruling BJP in India raised concerns over what it described as external interference in the country’s electoral process, questioning the beneficiary of the funding. The BJP's publicity chief asserted that the ruling party had no involvement in the matter, linking the funding to Hungarian-American businessman George Soros, who has been repeatedly accused by the party of attempting to destabilise the Indian government.
The Indian government has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, while USAID and the Department of Government Efficiency have not disclosed further information on the specific nature of the grants or the entities involved in their intended distribution.