"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!" These were the exact words of US President Donald Trump when he addressed the FII Priority Summit on Wednesday night in Miami, Florida.
Trump, in not so many words, hinted that the former US administration led by Joe Biden, wanted to interfere with Indian elections.
Outlining the various "wasteful expenses" of US taxpayer money plugged by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump went on to quip, "We ought to tell the Indian government—because when we heard that Russia spent about $2 in our country, it was a big deal, right? They took some internet ads for $2,000."
The US President was referring to the Russiagate scandal and the scores of investigations that followed alleging that Moscow had a direct handle in sabotaging the 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton while lifting the chances of Donald Trump’s victory.
Drawing parallels to allegations on himself and Russia of possible international interference while electing a national leader, Trump's intention was clear. "This is a total breakthrough! $21 million for India elections," Trump stressed, before he went on to talk about the $29 million that was reserved "to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh."
A day earlier, Trump at Mar-a-Lago questioned the logic behind India receiving funds, given its economic position and trade stance.
Back in India, the BJP said that their claims of possible meddling by the opposition were "vindicated" and "confirmed".
Prime Minister Modi had warned of foreign influence, not once, but on multiple occasions, during the 2024 election campaigns.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 20, 2025
Chikkaballapur, Karnataka (20th April, 2024) pic.twitter.com/W41cRvAG8u
BJP National Executive Member Amit Malviya went on X (Formerly Twitter) to allege that Rahul Gandhi went to London in March 2023 to urge foreign powers "to intervene in India’s internal affairs". Citing an interview aired in May 2024 where PM Narendra Modi stressed that "foreign powers were attempting to interfere in India’s election," Malviya said that Trump’s recent claim was a "reaffirmation of Prime Minister Modi’s assertion."
BJP Spokesperson Tom Vadakkan doubled down about "funds coming in" to "operatives" with "certain national parties working to ensure a regime change" when speaking to a media channel.
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Dismissing "voter turnout" as a mere label to hide the true intention of the funds, Vadakkan added, "For voter turnout, what kind of money do you need? In India, you don't need money for turning up." The money that allegedly came in was for regime change, stressed Vadakkan.
The 2016 allegations of Russian interference snowballed into a major controversy that marred the first Trump presidency.
In July 2018, a federal grand jury heard the United States v. Internet Research Agency LLC et al. case and indicted 13 Russian nationals along with three Russian entities in connection with the 2016 US elections. The indictment went on to talk about using social media illegally "to sow political discord, including actions that supported the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump and disparaged his opponent, Hillary Clinton."
