After the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, canceled a $21 million grant aimed at boosting voter turnout in India, President Donald Trump supported the move and questioned why US taxpayer funds were being used for this purpose.
“Why are we giving $21 million to India? They have plenty of money. They are one of the highest taxing countries when it comes to the US, and we can barely get into their market due to high tariffs. I have respect for India and its Prime Minister, but $21 million for voter turnout in India? What about voter turnout here in the US?” Trump remarked at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
On February 16, DOGE revealed a list of foreign aid programs that had been canceled, including the $21 million earmarked for India’s voter turnout. This announcement was made via a post on X, where DOGE identified a series of international programs deemed unnecessary or excessive.
#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, “Why are we giving $21 million to India? They have a lot more money. They are one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us; we can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high. I have a lot of respect for India… pic.twitter.com/W26OEGEejT
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2025
The list also included a $29 million grant for strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh and $39 million for fiscal federalism and biodiversity conservation in Nepal, among other international funding cuts.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the canceled funding as “external interference” in India’s elections.
“$21 million for voter turnout? This is clear interference in our electoral process. Who benefits from this? Certainly not the ruling party!” said BJP national spokesperson Amit Malviya.
Malviya further linked this initiative to the “systematic infiltration” of Indian institutions by foreign actors. He specifically targeted billionaire investor George Soros, whom right-wing figures worldwide accuse of influencing domestic politics through his Open Society Foundations.
“Once again, George Soros, a known associate of the Congress party and the Gandhis, has his shadow over our electoral process,” Malviya claimed.
The BJP has long expressed concerns over foreign-funded NGOs and civil society organizations operating in India. Malviya also mentioned a controversial 2012 agreement between the Election Commission of India and The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an organization tied to Soros’s Open Society Foundation.
He stated that the MoU, signed under the Congress-led UPA government, allowed undue foreign influence on India’s election system.
“Ironically, those who are questioning the transparency of the process for appointing India’s Election Commissioner — a first in our democracy, where the Prime Minister previously made the decision alone — had no problem handing the Election Commission of India over to foreign players,” Malviya said.
Malviya further accused the Congress of enabling foreign interference in India’s governance, adding, “The Congress-led UPA government systematically allowed foreign forces to infiltrate India’s institutions, weakening the nation at every turn.”
