Thursday 17 April 2025
They have a lot more money: Trump on $21 Million Fund for ‘voter turnout’ in India
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Prime Minister NarendraModirecently metTrumpfor bilateral discussions on trade, migration, and other important topics over national concerns. Though Trump shares a good relationship with PM Modi, he has recently supported the cancellation of the allocation of $22 million funds for the voter turnout in India. The US President emphasized that India with a high economy and taxation rates did not need such financial support.
Trump while signing executive orders at Mar-a-Lago stated,””Why are we giving USD 21 million to India?
On February 16th, Elon Musk-led DOGE took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce the cancellation of the $22 million funding that was originally designated for voter turnout in India. In its post, DOGE listed several U.S. taxpayer-funded initiatives that had been rescinded, including the amount earmarked for India’s electoral process.
The post read, “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been canceled,” among which the $21 million for voter turnout in India was prominently highlighted. This announcement triggered significant debate both in the U.S. and India regarding foreign financial involvement in electoral affairs.
The release of this electoral information by DOGE had led the BJP to criticize the opposition party Congress for leaking electoral information and allowing foreign intervention in national affairs. Regarding this, the BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X . He stated It is becoming increasingly evident that the Congress-led UPA systematically enabled the infiltration of India’s institutions by forces opposed to the nation’s interests – those who seek to weaken India at every opportunity,
He has also alleged that US-based investor George Soros, who is one of the close associates of the Congress party, had this information leaked to external sources Upon receiving such allegations from the ruling party, congress replied to have a probe into this matter to unveil the truth.
Following the BJPs allegations, the Congress party strongly refuted the claims and called for a thorough investigation into the matter. Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, speaking to PTI, stated, “The Congress party is clear that any kind of foreign intervention in our democratic process or election process is unwarranted and not correct, and we oppose it. It needs to be condemned and there should be a probe into it.”
Congress leaders insisted that if any external influence was indeed at play, it should be thoroughly investigated to ensure transparency and accountability. Their response aimed to counter the BJPs narrative and reaffirm their commitment to Indias democratic integrity.
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