BJP questions Congress on USAID's dollar 21 million funding for voter turnout in India
New Delhi: The BJP has raised questions over USAID’s dollar 21 million funding for voter turnout initiatives in India, alleging foreign interference and connections with George Soros and Congress.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a fierce attack on the Congress after reports revealed that USAID allocated dollar 21 million to enhance voter turnout in India in 2012. BJP leaders have questioned the motives behind the funding, linking it to foreign interference and alleging ties to George Soros and the Congress party. Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
BJP raises concerns over foreign funding
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised serious concerns over foreign interference in India’s electoral process following reports that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated dollar 21 million in 2012 to boost voter turnout in India. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, in a press conference on Tuesday, demanded that Congress clarify which powers received foreign grants to influence India’s elections.
"We want to ask the Congress clearly… who are these powers that seem to be getting economic grants for influencing and creating trouble in the election process in India?" Trivedi stated. He further alleged that an agreement was signed between the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and an Indian organization linked to the Election Commission, the India International Institute of Election Management, in 2011. Trivedi claimed that the support came from the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening, which had ties to George Soros' Open Society Foundation. According to Trivedi, this foundation has invested significant amounts in India, including an annual donation of dollar 3.5 lakh since 2012.
आज केंद्रीय कार्यालय, नई दिल्ली में प्रेस वार्ता को संबोधित किया।
— Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi (@SudhanshuTrived) February 17, 2025
My Press Conference today @BJP4India Head Office New Delhi
Here is the Link: https://t.co/yCqhTlkwgb pic.twitter.com/7L7Tef6iOj
VIDEO | "Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda, who is considered the identity of ideological think-tank of Congress, the kind of statement given by him regarding China today, makes it clear that this is an expression of the agreement made by the Congress Party with… pic.twitter.com/OnX8j2AOXC
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 17, 2025
Allegations against Congress and George Soros
Former CEC SY Quraishi Denies InvolvementThe BJP has been vocal in accusing external forces of interfering in India’s internal affairs, particularly targeting George Soros, a known critic of the Indian government. Trivedi compared the influence of Soros to that of Sam Pitroda, alleging that the Congress party and the INDI alliance were working in tandem with these foreign entities.
Reacting to the funding cancellation, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced that it had decided to cancel a dollar 21 million program intended to increase voter turnout in India, as well as a dollar 29 million initiative for political strengthening in Bangladesh. The announcement of the funding cuts prompted a swift response from the BJP, which once again accused Soros of attempting to influence Indian politics.
Former CEC SY Quraishi denies involvement
Amit Malviya, a prominent BJP leader, alleged that the Election Commission, under the leadership of former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi, had signed an agreement allowing foreign organizations to meddle in India's election process. "Once again, it is Soros, a known associate of Congress and the Gandhis, whose shadow looms over our electoral process," Malviya said.
However, SY Quraishi, who served as the CEC from 2010 to 2012, has denied any wrongdoing. In response to the BJP’s allegations, he stated that the claims regarding the MoU signed between the Election Commission and USAID were baseless. "The report in a section of media about an MoU by the ECI in 2012 when I was CEC, for funding of certain million dollars by a US agency for raising voter turnout in India, does not have an iota of fact," Quraishi said.
The controversy has sparked a broader debate over the influence of foreign entities on India's electoral system, with the BJP continuing to accuse external forces of attempting to influence the political landscape. As the investigation into the matter progresses, the question of foreign interference in India’s democracy remains a point of contention between the ruling party and its opposition.
