$21m US aid irks India, interference debate ensues
A storm brewed between India and the United States this week as President Donald Trump doubled down on a claim that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated $21 million to boost voter turnout in India.
The assertion, met with a sharp response from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has ignited concerns of "foreign interference" in the country’s democratic processes, prompting an official investigation.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal didn’t mince words at a press briefing: “We’ve seen the US administration’s claims about USAID activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling.” He confirmed that Indian agencies are probing the matter but cautioned against premature conclusions. “Relevant departments are looking into this. It’s too early to comment publicly on the specifics,” Jaiswal added when pressed about the fund’s intended purpose—or whether it might have been misattributed to India.
The controversy flared after a post last week from Tesla founder Elon Musk, now heading the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new body tasked with slashing federal spending.
Musk revealed that DOGE had uncovered $486 million allocated to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening.
Of that, $22 million reportedly went toward an “inclusive and participatory political process” in Moldova, while $21 million was flagged for voter turnout efforts in India.
Trump seized on the figure, amplifying it as evidence of misplaced US spending, but the claim landed like a bombshell in New Delhi.
India’s political heavyweights—both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress—cried foul, alleging external meddling in the nation’s elections.
The timeline, however, muddies the waters. References to interference hark back to 2012, when the BJP, then in opposition, accused the Congress-led UPA government of enabling foreign forces—allegedly backed by USAID and George Soros—to infiltrate India’s institutions ahead of the 2014 polls, which the BJP won decisively.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera fired back, flipping the narrative: “This is blatant external interference in India’s electoral process. Who benefits? Certainly not the ruling BJP today!”
He claimed the alleged 2012 interference had tilted the scales for the BJP back then, securing their 2014 victory with supposed USAID and Soros support—a charge the BJP has long dismissed.
The MEA’s measured yet firm stance reflects India’s sensitivity to sovereignty. “Concerns about foreign interference are real,” Jaiswal underscored, signalling that the investigation could strain Indo-U.S. ties if substantiated. For now, questions linger: Was the $21 million truly meant for India, or is this a case of misreported data? And if it was, what exactly did it fund—and when?
As Indian agencies dig deeper, the row has reignited a decade-old political feud, with both sides pointing fingers across time and borders. The truth, it seems, remains under wraps—for now.