USAID funding: BJP, Congress spar over ‘Indian Express’ report

A full-blown war of words broke out between the BJP and the Congress over a news report claiming that the US's alleged $21 million funding "for voter turnout" was for Bangladesh, not India. The USAID grant to India, which has been cancelled by the new US administration, has rocked the political corridors since Donald Trump hinted that the funds might have been used to interfere in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP, which has been on the warpath against the Congress since Trump's assertion, called this news report fake. The Congress latched on to the report to accuse the BJP of jumping the gun in accusing the opposition party of using alleged external influence in the poll process.

At the heart of the spat is an Indian Express investigation report that claimed that no USAID grant has been allocated for any election-related project in India since 2008. It said the only USAID grant worth $21 million for voter participation was sanctioned in 2022 for a project in Bangladesh called "Amar Vote Amar" (My Vote is Mine).

Citing the Express report, Congress leader Pawan Khera hit out at the BJP for pointing fingers at the opposition party without verifying facts. Calling the BJP "anti-national", Khera pointed out that it was the BJP that had been in the opposition for the longest period and had taken "direct help from external forces" to destabilise Congress governments.

"Isn't it anti-national of the BJP to immediately start pointing fingers at the opposition parties without first verifying facts and also without realising that the BJP has been in the opposition for the longest period and has, from time to time, taken direct and unethical help from external forces to unsettle the government?" Khera tweeted.

Congress's communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh also seconded Khera, saying the report exposed the lies of the BJP and sought an apology from the party. Notably, the party had sought a White Paper detailing USAID's support to institutions in India over the decades.

The BJP dismissed the claims made in the media report, saying it misrepresented the reference to a $21 million funding tranche intended to "promote voter turnout in India". BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya asserted that the Express report sidestepped the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2012 between the Election Commission, under SY Quraishi, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Malviya said the IFES was linked to the Open Society Foundation of American billionaire George Soros. He said Soros's organisation was primarily funded by USAID. Malviya said the Congress's swift response to the report showed its desperation, making it "increasingly clear" that the UPA enabled the "infiltration of India's institutions" by forces working against India's interests.