The Ministry of External Affairs addressed the row over USAID’s $21 million funding for India’s voter turnout and said Donald Trump’s remarks are “very deeply troubling”. This comes after the US government’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on February 16 that it had “cancelled” the USAID funding to India, among other projects.

“We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain USA activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage, so relevant authorities are looking into, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently,” Jaiswal added.

Following DOGE’s comments on the funding, the BJP accused the opposition Congress of using alleged external influence in India’s election process. US President Trump also questioned the funding, asking, “Why do we need to spend $21m for voter turnout in India? Wow, $21m! I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected.”