Washington, Feb 23: Former US President Donald Trump has asserted that the Biden administration allocated USD 18 million in funding to India for assistance with its elections, contending that this aid is unnecessary for the country.
These comments came during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, where he repeatedly criticized the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for providing USD 21 million to India aimed at promoting “voter turnout.” Trump accused India of exploiting the US financially.
“Eighteen million dollars for aiding India with its elections. Why are we doing that? Why don’t we revert to traditional paper ballots and allow them to assist us with our elections, right? Voter ID—wouldn’t that be wonderful? We’re funneling money to India for elections when they don’t even require it,” he stated.
“They take advantage of us significantly. They’re one of the highest tariff nations globally… We face tariffs of 200 percent there while we’re providing them vast sums to assist their election,” Trump remarked.
Trump also took issue with the USAID for allocating USD 29 million to Bangladesh.
“USD 29 million is intended to enhance the political framework and assist them in electing a radical leftist communist in Bangladesh,” he stated, without directly naming anyone.
Trump has consistently accused the USAID under the previous administration of Joe Biden of disbursing USD 21 million to India for “voter turnout,” igniting controversy within the country regarding this assistance.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed concerns on Saturday over the information circulated by the Trump administration, indicating that the government is investigating.
During an engagement at an event in New Delhi, he mentioned that the USAID was permitted in India “in good faith to conduct beneficial activities,” and highlighted troubling suggestions from the US regarding “potential bad faith activities.”
“Thus, it certainly necessitates scrutiny. If there’s validity to these claims, the public deserves to know who is involved in any questionable activities,” the external affairs minister added.
The Congress party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “speak with his friend” and firmly deny the allegations.
In a recent meeting of the Republican Governors Association, Trump reiterated his belief that the USD 21 million funding to India for ‘voter turnout’ constituted a “kickback” scheme, continuing to hit out at the previous Biden administration.
He had expressed similar concerns earlier this week, following his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, stating that USAID contributed USD 21 million to the Election Commission to enhance voter turnout in India, as he outlined how “US taxpayer dollars were being utilized.” On February 16, DOGE noted that all mentioned expenditures had been retracted. (Agencies)
