The Union finance ministry’s recent annual report mentioning US funding has armed Congress’s attack against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over the USAID row. The opposition charged the annual report has exposed “BJP’s lies” about foreign “interference in elections” in India.
Congress claimed as per the annual report published by the finance ministry for 2023-24, seven projects are being implemented in the country using USAID funds, but none is related to “improving voter turnout in India”. US President Donald Trump kicked up a row recently after he announced his administration is cancelling $21 million USAID funds allotted to India for “increasing voter turnout” in the country.
None other than the Union Finance Ministry has thoroughly exposed the lies of the PM and his jhoot brigade, including his dapper External Affairs Minister. As stated in the Finance Ministry's annual report for 2023-24, USAID is currently implementing seven projects in… pic.twitter.com/lS7BCJ0eXL
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 24, 2025
However, fact-checks by multiple media outlets have debunked the claim and the funds in question were actually sent to neighbouring Bangladesh and not India.
The finance ministry’s annual report says seven projects worth $750 million, funded by USAID, are being implemented in India, however, none is related to improving electoral turnout. "Currently, seven projects worth a total budget of $750 million (approx) are being implemented by USAID in partnership with the Government of India," as per the annual report. As per the report, since the commencement of USAID, the agency has provided economic assistance worth $17 billion for over 555 projects in India.
#WATCH | Miami, Florida | Addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit, US President Donald Trump says, "... Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government... This is a total… pic.twitter.com/oxmk6268oW
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2025
However, the report has hurt the BJP’s narrative of Congress using foreign funds to meddle elections in the country. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh charged the finance ministry’s report has exposed the “Jhoot brigade” of the BJP.
"None other than the Union Finance Ministry has thoroughly exposed the lies of the PM and his jhoot brigade, including his dapper External Affairs Minister,” the Congress leader said.
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“As stated in the finance ministry's annual report for 2023-24, USAID is currently implementing seven projects in collaboration with the Government of India, with a combined budget of approximately USD 750 million. Not a single of these projects has to do with voter turnout. All of them are with and through the Union Government," Ramesh said.
The controversy erupted after entrepreneur Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the US announced it had cancelled a $21 million grant to India to boost "voter turnout".
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently said the matter was “concerning” and the government is looking into it.
