NEW DELHI (TIP): Government of India on Friday, February 21, said it was investigating “very deeply troubling” allegations made by the U.S. government that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) planned to spend $21 million on funding “voter turnout” in India. This expenditure has been cancelled by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) run by billionaire Elon Musk, in a decision shared in a post on X on Monday.

In the Indian government’s first reaction to the DOGE post, the Ministry of External Affairs said that different departments are “looking into” the information shared, but declined to comment on whether India would cancel a number of MoUs and agreements on USAID funding made with various Ministries over the past few years, many of which are still current. “We have seen information that has been put out by the U.S. administration regarding certain USAID activities and funding,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs,” he added. The MEA also would not comment on a media report that suggested the information shared by DOGE was false, as the USAID funding had been sent to Bangladesh, not India. Mr. Jaiswal said that “relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter,” and their reports were awaited.

In its post, the DOGE said that “U.S. taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled,” including “$486M to the ‘Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening’ [CEPPS], including $22M for ‘inclusive and participatory political process’ in Moldova and $21M for voter turnout in India”. While the DOGE has not furnished any details of what this “voter turnout” funding was meant for, it named CEPPS, funded by USAID, as the donor agency to India. Both the USAID and CEPPS websites have been taken down since the DOGE ordered a “freeze” on USAID activities. Data still available online, however, indicates that USAID has allocated about $650 million to India since 2020, about one-fifth of its total funding to India of $2.86 billion since 2001. The MEA declined to respond to a specific question from The Hindu about whether these partnerships would now be reviewed, saying “it would be premature to make a public comment at this stage.” The ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress locked horns over the report on USAID money. The BJP dismissed media reports claiming that the $21-million USAID fund allocation was for Bangladesh, and accused the Congress party of being involved in “anti-India” activities; the Congress claimed that the BJP’s narrative was aimed at diverting attention from its own use of foreign funds to destabilize Congress governments in the past.