Amid the USAID funding row, Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar of silence on alleged insults to India by Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
The Congress leader said in a Hindi post on X that ever since the Trump administration's DOGE said on February 16 that USAID had canceled the USD 21 million funding for voting in India, the BJP has been making fabricated allegations against the party. 바카라But now it is coming to light that this entire news is fake. When the money has not even reached India, then what would be the cancellation?바카라 he said.
The BJP rejected Congress' allegations, labeling Rahul Gandhi a traitor and accusing him of collaborating with foreign entities to undermine India. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh hit back, calling the BJP "a procession of liars and illiterates." He also dismissed the claims about the USD 21 million, which the BJP and its supporters had been amplifying, revealing that it was a baseless rumor. Ramesh clarified that the USD 21 million in 2022 wasn't allocated for 'voter turnout' in India, but was instead intended for Bangladesh.
Ramesh explained that the controversy centers on two USAID grants listed by the Department of Government and Electoral Affairs (DOGE), which were channeled through the Washington-based Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS). He pointed out that CEPPS was set to receive a total of USD 486 million from USAID, with DOGE initially noting USD 22 million for Moldova and USD 21 million for voter turnout in India.
바카라The first fund given to CEPPS for Moldova came in 2016 under ID AID117LA1600001. However, the USD 21 million grant for India cited by DOGE is completely fabricated, as it was intended for Bangladesh, not India,바카라 Ramesh argued.
He clarified that the USD 21 million was actually meant for Bangladesh, with USD 13.4 million already disbursed before the January 2024 elections. 바카라Federal grants always specify the country of use, and according to US federal records, no USAID-funded CEPPS projects have been conducted in India since 2008. The only ongoing USAID grant of USD 21 million to CEPPS, ID 72038822LA00001, was approved in July 2022 for Bangladesh's 'Amar Vote Amar' (My Vote Is Mine) initiative,바카라 he said.
Ramesh concluded by questioning, 바카라Is this how the country바카라s self-respect is compromised바카라by begging for mercy on behalf of Adani?바카라
