USAID facts vs speculations

The USAID controversy has heated the political debate in the country after it seemed that the war of narratives was settling on BJP side after it’s back to back election victories. The current regime had always been suspicious of NGO’s and anything that it can’t control directly. NGOs receiving foreign aid are further away from control and one of their initial concerns after forming the government was to cut foreign aid to. NGOs During the PM’s recent visit to the USA president trump quoted a figure from DOGE put under Elon Musk that the under the Biden administration USAID had funneled 21 million dollars into India for increasing voter turnout. It was lapped up by the bjp as a proof of Congress’ foreign solicitation to influence Indian polity with grave implications. The Indian express then came up with the news that president trump had actually misquoted DOGE and that the amount was actually allocated for Dhaka. Washington Post has also confirmed it in its report today saying there are no records of any money being sent to India for election issues. Meanwhile there are reports that the USAID’s aid to Indian government has fallen from 204 million dollars to only 1.5 million during the modi regime while the support for NGOs has increased in the same period. The issue though serious is in need of more facts. Influencing elections in India or its neighboring countries is a matter of concern for India and needs to be raised at appropriate forums and proper investigation be done at home. Till then it seems to be a storm in the tea cup.