US President Donald Trump again raised the issue of $21 million funding for ‘voter turnout in India‘, calling it a kickback scheme, and said that nobody has any idea of what is going on there.
During his address at the Republican Governors Association (RGA) meeting on Thursday (local time), Trump questioned the allocation of funds not only for India but also mentioned USD 21 million for Bangladesh’s political landscape and USD 19 million for Nepal’s biodiversity.
“And USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India turnout? We got enough problems. We want our own turnout, don’t we? Can you imagine all that money going to India? I wonder what they think when they get it. Now, it’s a kickback scheme. You know, it’s not like they get it and they spend, they kick it back to the people that send it. I would say in many cases, many of these cases, anytime you have no idea what we’re talking about, that means there’s a kickback because nobody has any idea what’s going on there,” he said.
“USD 29 million to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh. Nobody knows what they mean by political landscape. What does that mean? USD 20 million for fiscal federalism and USD 19 million for biodiversity in Nepal, USD 47 million for improving learning outcomes in Asia. What the hell do I care about? We got a lot. We got enough problems and all of this is terminated. We terminated this stuff and we’re on the track. And by the way, there were so many others I could have I could read all night long, but so many were so terrible, and were actually disgusting. And I know you’re eating your dinner, so I didn’t want to do that but we’re draining the swamp,” he continued.
Responding to the claims, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that this money is used to ‘sustain deep-state assets who work to defend and deflect such revelations.’
BJP leader Amit Malviya responded on X, suggesting the funds were utilised to maintain certain influential entities in India who work to protect such disclosures. “A day after US President Donald Trump spoke about $21 million being sent to India for voter turnout, he has reiterated the charge. And no, he is not confusing it with the $29 million funneled into Bangladesh. This time, he has also mentioned kickbacks. Essentially, this money is also used to sustain deep-state assets who work to defend and deflect such revelations. We are now witnessing the same pattern unfold in India.”
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari called for an investigation to determine if Rahul Gandhi and Congress party received benefits from these alleged kickbacks.
This discussion follows the US Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) announcement of cancelling various US taxpayer-funded initiatives, including the USD 21 million intended for voter turnout in India.
At the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Florida, Trump had said the previous day, “We have got to tell the Indian Government. Because when we hear that Russia spent about two thousand dollars in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for two thousand dollars. This is a total breakthrough.”
Trump pointed out India’s strong economic position and high tariffs on US goods, saying, “They got a lot of money. They’re one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us. We can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high.”