USAID<\/a> was established in the 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programmes on behalf of the US government. It was the principal US agency that extended assistance to countries recovering from disasters, escaping poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. The allegations levelled by Trump and Musk were serious but unsubstantiated. However, shows by several broadcast news outlets turned the allegations into judgements with charged political commentary attacking BJP critics.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The controversy surrounding the alleged $21 million USAID grant for voter turnout in India gained traction after the US department of government efficiency (@DOGE) announced on February 16, 2025, that funding to several countries had been cancelled, including a $21 million allocation for “voter turnout in India”.<\/p>\n US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled: \u2014 Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Trump, too, amplified the claim that India was given money for elections. “…And $21 million for voter turnout in India. Why do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India? Wow, I guess they (Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government,” he said<\/a> at a summit in Miami on February 20. Three days later, he reiterated<\/a> this: <\/span>\u201cWell, they don\u2019t need money. They take advantage of us. They are one of the highest-tariff nations in the world. They have a 200 per cent tariff, and then we give them a lot of money for elections\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In turn, the BJP used Trump’s words to attack the Opposition. BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya led the charge.<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump on 21 million dollar funding for voter turnout in India, \u201c\u2026I guess they were trying to get someone else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government… This is a total breakthrough…” pic.twitter.com\/iRrNWdNWEM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Malviya also accused the Opposition of receiving funding “through various George Soros-linked fronts and a labyrinth of NGO structures to meddle with India\u2019s electoral process”.<\/span><\/p>\n The desperation of the Congress and its ecosystem of journalists and influencers to deflect from the controversial USAID funding\u2014routed through various George Soros-linked fronts and a labyrinth of NGO structures to meddle with India\u2019s electoral process\u2014is a dead giveaway. It is\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/JnGrSfXsv6<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wHAl3ehqaw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n However, amid this political battle and trading of allegations, several television media channels clearly took sides. They broadcast suggestive shows that attributed blame to Congress for using foreign aid to meddle with elections.<\/span><\/p>\n On February 19, Republic<\/a> broadcast an interview<\/a> with Sajeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s economic advisory council. During the show, hosted by the channel’s editor, Arnab Goswami, Sanyal remained focused on the argument that USAID was allowing independent agencies to collect data and information that helped in deploying surveys where India did not fare too well:<\/span><\/p>\n “In the last few years, this is a proliferation of indices, how do you think they popped up? They popped up because agencies like USAID, Soros\u2019 Open Society etc fund this layer upon layer. It\u2019s like money laundering where they create these agencies, you can’t really chase them\u2026. it\u2019s the same 4-5 guys funding layer upon layer of these international agencies\u2026 with that they create a certain narrative which then gets embedded into sovereign ratings, into academia, it is the data on which AI is trained\u2026”<\/p>\n However, Goswami tried to steer the conversating into “naming the sellouts” <\/span>who took money that interfered in Indian elections. Sanyal maintained that they had no way of knowing. \u201c… We can infer it here and there, but ultimately the data lies with Americans”.<\/p>\n While the basis of the debate were claims by Trump and Musk, the channel refrained from positing them as claims and instead broadcast them as facts.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/08\/1.jpeg\")
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nTrump Claims Biden Administration Gave India $21M for Elections<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\n– $10M for “Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision”
\n– $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop “a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills”
\n– $2.3M for “strengthening\u2026<\/p>\n\n
\n
Republic<\/strong><\/h4>\n