Editorial: American intervention: May the truth come out soon

Editorial: US President Donald Trump's claims about the financial assistance provided to India by the US agency 'USAID' are both sensational and do not match the facts. Trump himself has been changing the figures of the amount of this 'financial assistance' in the last seven days. While his such statements are fueling the slander between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India and its main opponent Congress, they are also raising doubts about the policies and intentions of the current US administration.

The Indian Finance Ministry clarified that 'USAID' approved financial assistance for 7 projects worth 750 million US dollars in India during the financial year 2023-24, but none of these projects are related to the Election Commission of India or the election process.

On the other hand, External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says that “the indications coming from America are being taken seriously and the preliminary investigation has begun.” According to Dr. Jaishankar, the US has not yet provided any documentary information regarding the corruption or amounts related to ‘USAID’ to the Indian government.

According to media reports, the Indian Embassy in Washington has contacted the US Treasury Department and sought details of the amounts paid by ‘USAID’ to Indian ministries or voluntary organizations (NGOs). There has been no response from the US side in response to this request so far.

The issue of alleged wasteful spending and arbitrariness of ‘USAID’ was raised by Donald Trump’s close ally and the world’s richest person, Elon Musk. Musk is also the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE). He recommended the dismantling of several government/semi-government departments and divisions and also suggested locking down the USAID office on the grounds that the agency was engaging in suspicious activities involving US capital.

The same report mentioned that $21 million was paid to “boost voter participation” in Indian elections. Trump acted on the report immediately and ordered the closure of USAID and also said that those who had received the funds from it would have the funds withdrawn. Since then, he has been dragging India in every public speech he has made.

Three days ago, he had indicated that the previous US President Joe Biden and his advisors did not like Indian leader Narendra Modi. They spent a large part of the $21 million to organize the demand for voting through ballots instead of voting machines. It is not an accident that the Bharatiya Janata Party did not hesitate to use this statement of Trump to throw mud at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. This is not a sign of political maturity. In the absence of evidence, the statements of leaders like Trump should not be given much weight.

The annual report of the Indian Finance Ministry for the year 2023-24 states that currently seven projects with a budget of 750 million dollars are being run with the help of 'USAID'. These are related to topics like agriculture and food security programs, water supply schemes, sanitation and hygiene campaigns, renewable energy, disaster management and health facilities.

Out of the above budget, 97 million dollars of assistance was received from the US during the last financial year. None of these seven projects is about election management or voters.

If this is the reality, then the Indian government should ask the US President to stop the bad propaganda about India. If the Biden administration supports any Indian political party or NGO. If financial assistance was given to the BJP in a secret manner, then details of that should also be sought.

The allegations that Trump has been making every day raise the issue of American interference in the Indian election process. This issue should not be ignored but the truth should be brought out as soon as possible.