US President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration for allocating $21 million to India for voter turnout, suggesting it aimed to influence elections. Speaking at a Miami summit, he questioned the need for U.S. taxpayer funds to support a nation with high tax revenues. Trump’s comments followed the disclosure from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which noted the funding was part of a larger cut to dubious U.S. aid programs, totaling over $55 billion saved. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the opposition Congress of enabling foreign interference in India’s electoral process, citing ties to financier George Soros.
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New Delhi:
<p>US President Donald Trump has once more raised concerns about the Biden administration's decision to allocate $21 million to India for "voter turnout," speculating that they might be "trying to get someone else elected."</p><p>"Why are we investing $21 million in voter turnout in India? I suspect they are attempting to influence another election. We need to inform the Indian Government... This is a complete breakthrough," he remarked at a summit in Miami on Thursday.</p><p dir="ltr" lang="en">President Trump highlighted instances of the extensive fraud, waste, and abuse that his administration has eliminated from the federal government.</p><p>PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://t.co/br9a1AKihY">pic.twitter.com/br9a1AKihY</a></p>— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1892350282182410728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a><p>His comments came shortly after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire Elon Musk, revealed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated $21 million to enhance "voter turnout" in India.</p><p>The DOGE, a cost-cutting organization established by Donald Trump, stated on February 16 that US taxpayer dollars were earmarked for various expenditures, including "USD 21M for voter turnout in India," all of which they noted have been canceled.</p><p>The DOGE further mentioned that an additional $29 million was intended for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh"—a nation that faced political unrest last year amidst claims of US 'deep state' involvement in the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—and $39 million for "fiscal federalism" and "biodiversity conservation" in Nepal, among other international funding projects.</p><p>"In the past month, we have effectively dismantled USAID, which was financing much of this nonsense," Trump stated at the gathering in Miami.</p><p>"In just under a month, DOGE has already saved over $55 billion—and we’re just getting started... We will rapidly enhance our economy by significantly reducing the size of the federal government," he continued.</p><p>Earlier on Wednesday, Trump defended DOGE's actions and questioned the rationale for using US taxpayers' funds for voter turnout initiatives in India.</p><p>"Why are we allocating $21 million to India? They have plenty of resources. They are one of the highest taxing nations globally concerning us; entering their market is challenging due to high tariffs. I respect India and its Prime Minister, but funding $21 million for voter turnout there? What about voter turnout here?" he expressed at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.</p><h3><strong>BJP Responds to USAID's 'India Voter Turnout'</strong></h3><p>In response to DOGE's announcement regarding USAID, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the opposition party, Congress, for the $21 million grant, asserting that it "clearly constitutes external interference in India's electoral process."</p><p>"Who benefits from this? Certainly not the ruling party (the BJP)!" party leader Amit Malviya stated.</p><p>He also connected this initiative to the "systematic infiltration" of Indian establishments by foreign forces.</p><p>Mr. Malviya further targeted Hungarian-born US financier George Soros, who has faced accusations from right-wing political figures globally of meddling in domestic politics through his Open Society Foundations.</p><p>"Once again, it is George Soros, a known ally of the Congress party and the Gandhis, whose influence casts a shadow over our electoral process," Mr. Malviya alleged.</p><p>Mr. Malviya also highlighted a controversial 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Election Commission of India and The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an organization associated with Mr. Soros's Open Society Foundation.</p>
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