India has expressed significant concern regarding recent claims made by the United States administration about funding activities in India, which it deems "deeply troubling." This statement comes in the wake of remarks made by former President Donald Trump, who suggested that USAID allocated $21 million to influence voter turnout in Indian elections.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that this situation raises worries about foreign interference in India's internal affairs and that relevant departments are currently investigating the matter.

Asked about President Donald Trump's remarks about the funding of USD 21 million for "voter turnout in India", Jaiswal said, "We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain US 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."

Highlighting the disparity in reactions, he stated, "21 million dollars in voter turnout - why do we need to spend 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government... Because when we hear that Russia spent about two thousand dollars in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for two thousand dollars. This is a total breakthrough."

While maintaining his respect for India and its Prime Minister, Trump questioned the necessity of spending millions on voter turnout in a foreign country, adding, "I have a lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. He just left, as you know, two days ago. But we're giving USD 21 million for voter turnout. It's voter turnout in India. What about, like, voter turnout here? Oh, we've done that, I guess. We did USD 500 million, didn't we? It's called the lockboxes."

Jaiswal emphasized that it would be premature to comment further at this stage as investigations are ongoing.

The controversy originated from Trump's comments during a summit, where he questioned the necessity of such funding for a country like India, which he described as economically robust.

He compared this situation to concerns over foreign interference in U.S. elections, suggesting that the funds were aimed at getting someone else elected in India. This has led to political backlash within India, with opposition parties demanding clarity on the nature of U.S. involvement and accusing each other of leveraging foreign assistance for electoral gains.

The DOGE-headed by Elon Musk, announced cancelling a USD 21 million funding intended for "voter turnout in India" on February 16. In a post on X, DOGE listed the number of spending by the US taxpayer that have been cancelled, including "USD 21M for voter turnout in India."

ANI