Congress slams BJP over USAID row, says narrative was aimed at diverting attention from 'own sins'

New Delhi: Congress on Friday claimed that the “$21 million USAID funds narrative” by the BJP is aimed at diverting the attention from “their own sins” of using foreign funds to destabilise Congress governments in the past.

It also said the “biggest question” is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meetings with American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACPYL), an organisation “practically funded” by the USAID, in 1993 when he was just an RSS pracharak while asking whether it had any hidden agenda.

The party, however, said it “does not consider” global partnerships, developmental agencies and aid mechanisms such as USAID as “unscrupulous” but highlighted that it was the BJP, which first started the “deep state narrative” and “demonised” the US agency.

As the BJP used US President Donald Trump's remarks that USAID gave $21 million for voter turnout programme in India “trying to get somebody else elected”, Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said, “We have enough evidence that RSS-BJP has been taking covert assistance from foreign agencies to destabilise Indian democracy and bulldoze our Constitution.”

Khera attacked the RSS, alleging that the CIA had provided “large sums of money” for RSS' anti-cow slaughter rally held in 1966. “Is it not true that MS Golwalkar was the RSS chief at the time? We are not saying this, an American spy John D Smith revealed that the CIA used RSS as puppets to overthrow the Congress government of Jawaharlal Nehru,” he said.

He said it was “shockingly enough” to know that USAID and the Ministry of Finance launched a joint drive to promote cashless payments in India. “Why was the US funneling money for Modi’s biggest economic project?” Khera asked.

“Even Modi-ji’s much hyped Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has a USAID stamp. If the Modi government considers USAID such a pariah, then why did it partner with them for the Swachh Bharat Mission, where it worked with the government in 73 cities? Why did Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog, in February 2022, announce a new partnership under SAMRIDH initiative with the USAID to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare?" he said.

The Congress leader said the union ministers constantly interacted with USAID officials and signed MoUs with them for various government schemes and projects and cited Union Minister Piyush Goyal's January 2024 announcement of an MoU between India and USAID to support the Indian Railways’ goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. He asked why did the Union Cabinet clear it if they are "so allergic" to USAID.

He also asked why Modi met USAID administrator Rajiv Shah during his visit to the US in March 2023. "If the USAID and collaboration with US agencies are a deep state, then why did Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis discuss the opportunities of collaboration with USAID on 10 November, 2022? Why did the Arvind Kejriwal government, a puppet of the RSS, work with USAID on Delhi’s Mohalla Clinics?" he added.