'Deeply Troubling': India Reacts To USAID Fund Row, Says Agencies Are Investigating

Last Updated:February 21, 2025, 16:23 IST

India expressed concerns over the 'election interference bid' revelation made by Donald Trump and said that the agencies are investigating the matter.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (PTI Image)

Expressing concerns over Donald Trump’s revelation of an apparent election interference bid in India using USAID $21 Million fund, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said the information that has come up is “troubling" and stressed that relevant departments and agencies are looking into the matter.

This comes a day after Trump claimed that the previous Biden administration allocated the fund under USAID to India to “get somebody else elected" in the country.

“We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain USA activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage, so relevant authorities are looking into it, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing.

Jaiswal said that several agencies in India work with USAID and the Ministry is waiting for further details on the matter.

Trump’s ‘Election Interference Bid’ In India Claim

On Wednesday (local time), Trump hinted at an apparent election interference in India by the previous Biden government in the US and said that he would take up the matter with the Modi government.

“Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government… This is a total breakthrough," Trump said at the FII PRIORITY Summit.

A day later, he said that the funding to India was a “kickback scheme".

“21 million dollars for a voter turnout in India, why are we caring about Indian turnout, we got enough problems. We want our own turnout, don’t we? Can you imagine all that money going to India, I wonder what they think when they get it. Now it’s a kickback scheme, they get it, they spend it, they kick it back to the people that sent it," he said.

Notably, the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) decided to cancel the $21 Million USAID fund designated for India in the name of “voter turnout".

DOGE is responsible for investigating irregularities in the US humanitarian funding during the Biden administration.

News world 'Deeply Troubling': India Reacts To USAID Fund Row, Says Agencies Are Investigating