On Sunday, BJP national spokesperson Amit Malviya condemned the now-abandoned $21 million fund, approved by the Biden administration initially, to sway voter turnout in India. Malviya called the program a "form of external interference" in the democratic process of the country.
Implying the Opposition could have a conspiracy on their hands regarding the use of American funds to interfere in Indian elections, he said, "$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India's electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!"
Malviya's remarks followed after the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk made a decision to cancel the taxpayer-financed grant, which had been disbursed by the previous government. The fund was meant to shape voter turnout in India.
The BJP spokesperson further expressed concerns about the "systematic infiltration" of Indian institutions by foreign groups, specifically pointing fingers at billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his Open Society Foundation (OSF), said to have great influence across the world. Malviya further added, "Once again, it's George Soros, the known friend of the Congress party and the Gandhis, whose hand is behind our electoral process."
The row intensified this week when the BJP raised the issue in the Lok Sabha with an emphasis on steps taken by the Donald Trump administration against USAID and calling for an investigation into Indian organizations supported by it. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey put the Congress party and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in the line of fire, both reportedly connected to Soros' network. He alleged that Soros' foundation might have directed USAID money to Indian organizations with the goal of "breaking up India."
Dubey also demanded that there should be an investigation into whether OSF financially supported the Congress and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in their attempts to highlight polarizing issues, including pushing for a census on the basis of caste and trying to mount a smear campaign against Modi government's Agnipath recruitment scheme for the military.
These issues, Dubey alleged, had been brought up by the Congress party time and again before important elections, as part of an attempt to raise grumbles in the electorate and transform them into political gain for the party.
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