Mon Feb 17 07:13:02 UTC 2025: ## BJP and Congress Clash Over $21 Million USAID Grant for Indian Voter Turnout in 2012
**New Delhi, February 18, 2025** – A political firestorm has erupted in India following a report by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alleging that USAID provided $21 million to boost voter turnout in India during the 2012 elections. The revelation has sparked a bitter exchange between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress party.
The BJP seized on the DOGE report, claiming it constitutes evidence of foreign interference in India’s electoral process. Party leaders, including Amit Malviya, Pradeep Bhandari, and Nalin Kohli, accused the Congress of colluding with foreign entities, specifically referencing George Soros. Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Prime Minister Modi’s Economic Advisory Council, went so far as to call USAID’s actions “the biggest scam in human history.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera countered the BJP’s accusations, highlighting that the Congress party was in power in 2012 when the funds were allegedly disbursed. Khera argued that if the grant was indeed intended to influence the election, it would have benefited the then-ruling Congress, not the BJP, which won the 2014 elections. He pointedly suggested the BJP’s accusations are hypocritical.
The controversy centers around a 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi vehemently denied the DOGE’s claim, stating that the report is “baseless” and that the funds were used for electoral training and resource development, not voter turnout manipulation. He emphasized that such MoUs are standard practice for the ECI.
The DOGE report also highlighted other allegedly questionable uses of US taxpayer funds for global aid programs. While the agency cited examples of projects in Nepal, Mozambique, and Africa, the focus remains on the alleged $21 million grant for India’s electoral process. The controversy is likely to further intensify political tensions in the run-up to future elections.
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