A controversial funding allocation of $21 million, initially designated for "voter turnout in India" and later cancelled by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was allegedly part of a broader scheme for regime change in Bangladesh, according to reports.
Access to financial records purportedly revealed that USAID had allocated the funds in 2022, with $13.4 million—64 per cent of the total—already disbursed under the guise of "political and civic engagement."
Reports suggest that the funding contributed to the upheaval which forced Sheikh Hasina, then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, to resign in August following large-scale student uprisings that led to hundreds of deaths.
Earlier, former US State Department official Mike Benz, in an interview on Glenn Greenwald's show System Update, alleged that US involvement was instrumental in ousting Sheikh Hasina due to her opposition to a US military base in the region.
Earlier this month, DOGE published a list of expenditure items scrapped under its cost-cutting initiative. The list included grants made to the US-based Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).
Among the shelved allocations were $21 million for "boosting voter turnout in India," $29 million for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh," and $20 million for "fiscal federalism in Nepal." However, the identities of the beneficiaries and the total amounts spent on these programmes were not disclosed.
Reacting to the revelation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the funding pointed to "external interference" in India’s elections.
Addressing the matter, US President Donald Trump remarked, "Why do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India? Wow, $21 million! I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected," during a speech in Miami on Wednesday.
Also read: 'Why fund India’s polls? They tax us so much,' Trump backs aid cut
Further reports suggest that the International Republican Institute (IRI) played a key role in events leading to Hasina’s ousting, allegedly funnelling millions into clandestine training of opposition factions and orchestrating a youth-based network to incite political upheaval in urban centres across Bangladesh.
In September last year, reports surfaced claiming that leaked documents reviewed by a media outlet indicated USAID’s involvement in activities intended to "destabilise Bangladeshi politics."
Former State Department official Mike Benz, in an interview, alleged that USAID had backed last year’s regime change in Bangladesh owing to Hasina’s opposition to a US military base in the region.
Hasina herself had previously accused Washington of attempting to remove her from power after she refused to allow a US military base in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has dismissed allegations of orchestrating the regime change.
Spokesman Vedant Patel described the claims as "laughable accusations."
Also read: MEA calls DOGE's $21M USAID fund claim 'deeply troubling'
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