February 21st 2025.
New Delhi: On Friday, a heated political argument erupted after a media report surfaced claiming that USD 21 million in aid from USAID was intended for Bangladesh, not India. The Congress party demanded an apology from the BJP, while the ruling party accused Rahul Gandhi of colluding with foreign forces to weaken India.
The Congress party alleged that the BJP's narrative was an attempt to divert attention from their own use of foreign funds to destabilize previous governments. They also called for a white paper from the government on the USAID funding, as well as funding from other foreign agencies in India.
In response, the BJP dismissed the media report as a "cover up" and labeled Rahul Gandhi a "traitor." Both parties held press conferences to accuse each other of weakening the Indian government through the use of foreign funds.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, expressed concern over the USAID funding and its potential interference in India's internal affairs. When asked about the issue during the weekly MEA briefing, Jaiswal stated that relevant departments and authorities are looking into the information released by the American administration regarding certain US activities and funding.
According to the Indian Express report, the USD 21 million was actually sanctioned for Bangladesh in 2022, not India. This information was brought to light by documents cited in the report. US President Donald Trump also made claims about the funding, calling it a "kickback" scheme and continuing to criticize the previous Biden administration for the now-cancelled financial aid.
This is the third time within a week that Trump has questioned the funding. The Congress party's general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, responded to the report by stating, "Lies were first spoken in Washington, then amplified by the BJP's 'Jhoot Sena' (Lying Army). These lies were then debated in the media. Now, the truth has been revealed. Will the liars apologize?"
On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed that the USAID funding was intended to interfere with India's internal politics and disrupt the electoral process. He also referenced Trump's statements on the matter, stating that the US President would have the most knowledge about the funding.
The BJP accused the Congress party of using external influence in India's election process, particularly during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, which aimed to "break India." BJP's IT department head, Amit Malviya, dismissed the report as "fake news," claiming that it discussed USD 21 million in funding for Bangladesh in 2022, but misrepresented the reference to USD 21 million funding to "promote" voter turnout in India.
In response, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera held a press conference and alleged that the entire narrative of USD 21 million in USAID funds was a ploy by the BJP and the Modi government to divert attention from their own use of foreign funds to destabilize previous Congress-led governments. Khera claimed that official documents prove the truth that the funds were not given to India, but to Bangladesh.
He also referenced the RSS's use of CIA assistance during the Emergency period and alleged that the organization orchestrated the Anna Hazare-Arvind Kejriwal "India Against Corruption" movement to overthrow the Congress-led UPA government with the help of foreign aid.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed concern over the alleged USAID funding for raising voter turnout in India. He stated that those responsible for allowing such an attack on the country's democratic values should be exposed.
As the argument continued to gain attention, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi remarked, "The joke is on us as a nation. The Government of India went by the DOGE revelation and latched onto President Trump's statement. The media debated it with glee. Neither of them had enough self-respect to investigate instead of blindly believing what was being served to them."
TMC leader Saket Gokhale also criticized the BJP, accusing them of "lying again for cheap political points." He stated that the BJP held press conferences claiming a big "conspiracy" about election interference in India, only for it to turn out to be an "error."
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