TERMING US President Donald Trump’s claim of “$21 million allocation to India for voter turnout” as “very deeply troubling”, the Ministry of External Affairs Friday said, “this has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs”. Responding to a question about The Indian Express report Friday that the $21 million was sanctioned for Bangladesh and not India, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “There are many departments and agencies in India that work with USAID. All these ministries and agencies are looking at this now. We will share with you as and when we get an update.” Earlier, to a question on the information shared on social media by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, the MEA spokesperson said, “We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain USAID activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage.” In a speech in Miami on Wednesday, Trump said, “Why do we need to spend $21m for voter turnout in India? Wow, $21m! I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected.” The Indian Express had reported that $13.4 million of the $21 million to Bangladesh has already been disbursed, ostensibly for “political and civic engagement” among Bangladesh students in the run-up to the January 2024 elections and projects that put a question mark on the integrity of these elections — seven months before the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had announced on February 16 it had “cancelled” USAID funding of “$21 million for voter turnout in India”. Since then, the ruling BJP has accused the opposition Congress of using alleged external influence in India’s election process.
