Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Paty of spreading “fake news” about USAID funding and called it an “anti-national act.”
The party questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for their silence on alleged insults to India by Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
The BJP dismissed the allegations and called Rahul Gandhi a “traitor.” It accused him of working with foreign forces to weaken India.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the BJP was celebrating false claims about a $21 million USAID grant. He said the funds were not meant for voter turnout in India but for Bangladesh.
He claimed the BJP was making false accusations after the Trump administration’s DOGE stated on 16 February that USAID had cancelled the funding. “But now it turns out the entire news is fake,” Ramesh said. “If the money never came to India, how can it be cancelled?”
He explained that the confusion came from two USAID grants listed by DOGE. The funds were routed through the Washington-based Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).
Also read: Trump escalates USAID row, claims India 'exploiting' US aid
He said CEPPS was to receive $486 million from USAID, including $22 million for Moldova and $21 million supposedly for India.
However, he argued that the grant for India never existed. “In reality, the $21 million was meant for Bangladesh. Of this, $13.4 million had already been disbursed before the January 2024 elections,” he said.
Ramesh stated that every US federal grant specifies its intended country. “According to US federal spending records, no USAID-funded CEPPS projects have existed in India since 2008,” he said. The only ongoing $21 million USAID grant to CEPPS was approved in July 2022 for Bangladesh’s “Amar Vote Amar” (My Vote Is Mine) programme.
In November 2022, the grant’s purpose was changed to "USAID’s Nagorik Programme.” A USAID official in Dhaka later confirmed this on social media.
Congress demanded answers from the BJP. “Why did the BJP spread fake news about India’s democracy?” Ramesh asked. “If this is not treason, then what is it?”
He also questioned why Modi and Jaishankar had not responded to repeated remarks by Trump and Musk that allegedly insulted India.
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