New Delhi [India], February 21 : After US President Donald Trump again raised the issue of alleged US funding of USD 21 million for voter turnout in India and 'kickbacks', the Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that the money was used to sustain "deep state assets" in India and demanded a probe into the matter.
Trump, on Thursday (local time), again questioned the US government's allocation of USD 21 million for voter turnout in India, calling it a "kickback scheme". He also spoke about the funding of USD 21 million for strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh and USD 19 million for biodiversity in Nepal.
Addressing the Republican Governors Association (RGA) meeting, Trump said, "And USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India 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. You know, it's not like they get it and they spend, they kick it back to the people that send it. I would say in many cases, many of these cases, anytime you have no idea what we're talking about, that means there's a kickback because nobody has any idea what's going on there. USD 29 million to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh. Nobody knows what they mean by political landscape. What does that mean?"
"USD 20 million for fiscal federalism and USD 19 million for biodiversity in Nepal, USD 47 million for improving learning outcomes in Asia. What the hell do I care about? We got a lot. We got enough problems and all of this is terminated. We terminated this stuff and we're on the track. And by the way, there were so many others I could have I could read all night long, but so many were so terrible, and were actually disgusting. And I know you're eating your dinner, so I didn't want to do that but we're draining the swamp," he added.
Reacting to the US President's remarks, BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that the said money was being used to "sustain deep-state assets" in India "who work to defend and deflect such revelations."
While sharing Trump's video on X, Malviya stated, "A day after US President Donald Trump spoke about $21 million being sent to India for voter turnout, he has reiterated the charge. And no, he is not confusing it with the $29 million funneled into Bangladesh. This time, he has also mentioned kickbacks. Essentially, this money is also used to sustain deep-state assets who work to defend and deflect such revelations. We are now witnessing the same pattern unfold in India."
https://x.com/amitmalviya/status/1892793463021740100
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also raised the issue, and called for a probe to find if Rahul Gandhi and Congress party were the "beneficiaries" of the alleged kickbacks.
"Donald Trump for the second time has said that -"21 Million Dollar has gone to voter turnout in India". Calls it a "Kick Back Scheme". An investigation is must to find out if Rahul Gandhi & Congress ecosystem was beneficiary of this kickback scheme!" Bhandari posted on X.
https://x.com/pradip103/status/1892794390797574404
This comes after US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) posted a list of cancelled US taxpayer-funded initiatives with a mention of USD 21 million earmarked for "voter turnout in India." The DOGE-headed by Elon Musk, announced cancelling a USD 22 million funding intended for "voter turnout in India" on February 16.
In a post on X, DOGE listed the number of spendings by the US taxpayer that have been cancelled, including "USD 21M for voter turnout in India."
Earlier on February 19 also, Trump had questioned the United States' allocation of USD 21 million for voter turnout efforts in India, comparing it to concerns over foreign interference in American elections.
Addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Florida, he said, "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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump questioned the necessity of spending millions on voter turnout in a foreign country.
"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," Trump said.