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‘USAID is biggest scam’: PM Modi’s advisor Sanjeev Sanyal on DOGE’s ‘$21mn for voter turnout in India’ claim
PM Modi's advisor Sanjeev Sanyal said he would “love to find out who received the US$21mn spent to improve voter turnout in India.”
Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioned the US Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) claim that it cancelled "$21M for [improving] voter turnout in India" and "$29M to strengthening political landscape in Bangladesh."
In a post on X on Sunday, Sanjeev Sanyal said, "Would love to find out who received the US$21mn spent to improve "voter turnout in India" and the US$29mn to "strengthening political landscape in Bangladesh"; not to mention the US$29mn spend to improve "fiscal federalism" in Nepal. USAID is the biggest scam in human history."
DOGE's claim also drew sharp reaction from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya. The BJP leader said, "$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India's electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!"
In another post, Malviya shared a 2012 report which stated that “EC signs MoU with IFES [The International Foundation for Electoral Systems] on election management.”
The BJP leader also accused American investor and philanthropist George Soros of having significant influence over India's electoral process, suggesting a connection between Soros and the Congress, as well as, the Gandhi family.
What did DOGE claim?
The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Billionaire Elon Musk, said it cancelled a USD 22 million funding intended for "voter turnout in India" on Saturday (Local Time).
In a post on X, DOGE announced, "US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled..." This included, "$21M for voter turnout in India; $29M to strenghening political landscape in Bangladesh; $20M for fiscal federalism in Nepal.
No further details on the funding were given in the post.
US President Donald Trump chose Musk to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last month. Tasked with improving governance and curbing wasteful expenditures, the DOGE announced the cuts in a post on X on Saturday.
(NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the latest updates)
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Business NewsNewsIndia‘USAID is biggest scam’: PM Modi’s advisor Sanjeev Sanyal on DOGE’s ‘$21mn for voter turnout in India’ claim
First Published:16 Feb 2025, 03:07 PM IST
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