Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera launched an attack on the BJP, ridiculing the ruling party and its supporters for believing the funding allegations.
NEW DELHI: Seizing on The Washington Post’s report dismissing claims of US funding for India’s voter turnout, Congress launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. At a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera ridiculed the ruling party, calling the controversy “a matter between two friends.”
“Donald Trump said today that he gave $21 million to his friend Narendra Modi to increase voter turnout. But after this statement, there is silence all around. So we want to know from Modi—where did these $21 million go? Trump’s statement proves he sent this money to Modi to influence elections. Since we have been consistently questioning voter turnout trends, is this increase due to foreign funds? No matter how much money Modi brings in, he cannot weaken India’s democracy,” Khera said.
Earlier, Khera had taken to social media to mock the BJP, saying: “In this latest expose on the so-called US funding to increase voter turnout in India, The Washington Post confirms that no such program existed and no such funding was received. For the BJP and its blind supporters, crow is part of their daily diet. Who else will eat crow after this comedy of errors?”
The controversy erupted after Elon Musk’s DOGE platform claimed it had canceled a $21 million USAID grant supposedly meant to boost voter participation in India. Trump quickly amplified the claim, alleging that US taxpayer money was being used to interfere in India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Despite The Washington Post’s findings, Trump has continued repeating the allegations without evidence. He recently remarked, “Why do we need to spend USD 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they (the Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government.”
While the BJP has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of seeking foreign intervention to defeat Modi, the ruling party has yet to respond to The Washington Post’s report debunking the USAID funding claim. The opposition, meanwhile, is demanding answers from Modi and the Election Commission on the matter.
What the Washington Post report said
According to The Washington Post, the false claim originated when DOGE alleged that USAID had allocated $21 million to India as part of a broader $486 million payment to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), a USAID-funded coalition of non-profits working on democratic governance and electoral processes. However, the report, citing three officials familiar with US aid initiatives, stated that no such program existed in India.
“We were all shocked to see that claim from DOGE. We don’t know anything about elections in India because we have never been involved,” a USAID official told The Washington Post.
Another US official suggested that Musk’s department might have misrepresented the numbers from other programs, saying, “They seem to be conflating figures from unrelated initiatives.”
Despite these clarifications, Trump has doubled down on his claims, repeatedly questioning why US funds were allegedly being spent on voter turnout in India. Earlier this week, he remarked, “Why do we need to spend USD 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they (the Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government.”
