BJP gains more ground as Trump repeats ‘voter turnout funds’ remark in USAID debate: ‘For the third day in a row…’

Sharing Trump’s video on X (formerly Twitter), the BJP took a jab at the opposition, which had used the media report to attack the saffron party.

“For the third day in a row, US President Donald Trump reiterates his claim about USAID funding efforts to promote voter turnout in India. But what does he know about his own country’s spending? The Indian Express and the deranged Left think they know better!” BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote.

What did the media report say?

A fact-check report by The Indian Express on USAID funding claimed that $21 million was allocated in 2022 for Bangladesh, not India.

The report further stated that of the total $21 million, $13.4 million has already been disbursed, apparently for “political and civic engagement" for the students in Bangladesh embroiled in protests in the run-up to the January 2024 elections.

Referring to the report, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “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 of time and has from time to time taken direct and unethical help from external forces to unsettle the govt?”

Another party leader Jairam Ramesh also shared the report attacking the ruling BJP-led government.

On February 16, the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) declared that it had “cancelled” multiple foreign aid initiatives, including a “$21 million grant for voter turnout in India.”

This statement bolstered the BJP’s argument, allowing it to accuse the Congress of purportedly leveraging foreign funds to influence India’s elections.