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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Thursday termed revelations about alleged funding of $21 million by a United States agency to promote voter turnout in India as “deeply troubling” and said that relevant departments and agencies were probing into what American President Donald Trump called “a kickback scheme”.
“This has led to concerns about foreign interference in internal affairs of India,” Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said while replying to the questions by journalists on the $21 million funding by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for promoting voter turnout in India.
The funding has recently been brought to the fore by the US Department of Government Efficiency, a new federal government agency created by the Trump Administration with Tesla CEO Elon Musk at its helm.
The allegation about the USAID funding for promoting voter turnout in India triggered a war of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress.
Ever since the US DOGE announced on February 16 that it had ‘cancelled’ the USAID funding of $21 million for voter turnout in India, the BJP stepped up its attack on the Congress, accusing the main opposition party of allowing foreign powers to influence elections in India. The Congress, however, dismissed the allegation.
“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,” Jaiswal, the MEA spokesperson, told journalists in New Delhi.
“Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage,” he said, adding: “The relevant authorities are looking into this matter, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently.”
"$21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India's turnout? We have got enough problems. We want our own turnout,” Trump said in Washington DC on Thursday. This was the third time within a week that he had questioned the funding by the USAID.
The Trump Administration moved to shut down the USAID.