Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has responded to allegations of foreign interference after Donald Trump flagged alleged funding for the country’s elections
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has expressed concerns about potential foreign interference in the country’s elections, just days after US President Donald Trump claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had allocated $21 million to boost voter turnout in the South Asian nation.
Speaking at the Delhi University Literature Festival on Saturday during a conversation with Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Jaishankar said: “As a government we are looking into it because such organizations have an obligation to report. And my sense is, the facts will come out.”
The minister added that USAID was allowed to operate in India “in good faith.” However, the information that is now “emerging from the US administration” seems to reveal activities “which are in bad faith,” Jaishankar emphasized.
The mention of $21 million in funding allegedly provided to India first appeared earlier, in the list of cancelled programs released by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk.
This has sparked a political row in New Delhi regarding the intended recipients of these funds. The Indian foreign ministry previously stated that they are looking into “deeply troubling” information about US government activity in the country.
Trump, addressing an event in Miami last week, questioned the intent of this allocation. “Why do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India? Wow, $21 million! I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected,” he said.
Trump later mentioned the funding for “voter turnout” in India in several public speeches. Repeating the claim at a Republican Governors Association (RGA) meeting, he alleged the funding had essentially been meant for “kickbacks” to those who allocated the money.
On Sunday, while referencing grants allocated by USAID, as listed by DOGE, which were spent on countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, and other Asian and African nations, Trump mentioned that the amount given to India was “$18 million,” deviating from the previously cited figure of $21 million.
“Eighteen million dollars for helping India with its elections. Why the hell?” Trump said, addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), according to The Hindu.
Questions are also being raised as to whether the money allocated to USAID has been spent or was waiting to be allocated. The original statements made in the DOGE post on X said US taxpayer dollars “were going to be spent on the following items,” adding that all payments planned have since been canceled. It amounted to $486 million in total.
In the midst of this controversy, the Indian finance ministry’s latest annual report for 2023-24 has revealed that USAID funded seven projects in India worth $750 million, as reported by PTI.
According to data, these projects are being implemented in partnership with the government of India, with a total obligation of $97 million made by USAID for the last fiscal year. The funding was allocated to various sectors, including agriculture and food security, water and sanitation, renewable energy, disaster management, and health. Notably, the report states that no funding was provided for enhancing voter turnout.
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