Hours after Trump questioned the $21 million USAID funding for India’s Voter Turnout and accused the Biden-administration of interfering in the country’s electoral process, Jairam Ramesh took to X and said that US President’s claims are typically “nonsensical to say the least.

Speaking at the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Trump had said, ““Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. This is a total breakthrough,”

Reacting to this, Ramesh began his post with “USAID is very much in news these days.” He further said that the Indian government “should bring out a White Paper at the earliest detailing USAID’s support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India over the decades.”

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revoked the funding, prompting Trump to suggest it may have been intended to influence India’s elections.

Trump had voiced similar concerns a day earlier, questioning the necessity of such funding. “India has a lot of money. They’re one of the highest-taxing countries in the world. Why are we giving them this money?” he said, also criticising India’s high tariffs on US businesses.

The DOGE had announced the cancellation of the funds on February 16, originally allocated to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS). The decision has also sparked a political row in India, with BJP’s Amit Malviya and Rajeev Chandrasekhar accusing the opposition Congress of welcoming “external interference” in the country’s elections.

Since Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, DOGE has been actively cutting grants issued under previous administrations and shutting down USAID programs.

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In a post on X, DOGE revealed that several taxpayer-funded programs had been cancelled, including grants for election-related initiatives abroad. “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled,” the post stated. Among the listed expenditures was $486 million allocated to the ‘Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening’ (CEPPS)—which included $22 million for promoting an “inclusive and participatory political process” in Moldova and $21 million for voter turnout efforts in India.

However, the post did not specify which Indian agency or entity was set to receive the funds or provide further details about the grant’s intended use.

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