Report: USAID Funding Misattributed Amid India Election Controversy
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A recent Indian Express investigation has revealed that the controversial $21 million in American taxpayer money initially reported as “voter turnout in India” was actually allocated to Bangladesh. The funding, part of a broader USAID initiative, was meant for political and civic engagement programs in Bangladesh before its January 2024 elections, with $13.4 million already disbursed.
The revelation comes after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) canceled several foreign aid programs as part of cost-cutting measures. The list included $21 million for Indian voter turnout, $29 million for Bangladesh’s political landscape, and $20 million for fiscal policies in Nepal. However, the actual recipients of the funds remained undisclosed.
The misreported allocation has sparked controversy in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decried it as potential “external interference” in domestic elections. The Indian foreign ministry announced a formal investigation into U.S. government activities in the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump amplified the issue in multiple speeches, questioning the necessity of spending $21 million on India’s elections and implying the funds may have been aimed at influencing outcomes. “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,” he remarked in Miami.
Further investigation by The Indian Express found that the funding in question was part of a $486 million USAID grant to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS). While initially listed under India, the funds were earmarked for Bangladesh and split among CEPPS member organizations, including the International Republican Institute (IRI), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Leaked documents suggest that IRI played a key role in regime-change activities in Bangladesh, providing training to opposition groups and mobilizing urban youth ahead of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s August resignation. GreyZone previously reported that USAID-backed programs sought to “destabilize” Bangladesh’s political landscape, though The Dhaka Tribune later challenged the credibility of those claims, calling them “doctored.”
Amid growing scrutiny, former U.S. State Department official Mike Benz recently alleged in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Hasina’s removal was linked to her refusal to allow a U.S. military base in Bangladesh. Hasina herself has echoed this claim, accusing Washington of engineering her ouster over her opposition to U.S. military expansion in the region. The U.S. State Department dismissed these accusations as “laughable” and “absolutely false.”
