“Deeply troubling”, says MEA on US administration’s information on funding in India

India on Friday said that the United States’ administration’s information regarding funding in India is “deeply troubling” and has led to concerns regarding foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.

Addressing a weekly press briefing on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that relevant departments and agencies are looking into the matter and it would be premature to make a public comment at this stage.

Asked about President Donald Trump’s remarks about the funding of USD 21 million for “voter turnout in India”, Jaiswal said, “We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain US activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter.”

“It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage. So, relevant authorities are looking into, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently,” the MEA spokesperson said.

Addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Florida on Thursday, Trump questioned the United States’ allocation of USD 21 million for voter turnout efforts in India, comparing it to concerns over foreign interference in American elections while addressing

Highlighting the disparity in reactions, he stated, “21 million dollars in voter turnout – why do we need to spend 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. 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 further pointed out India’s strong economic position and high tariffs on US goods, stating, “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.”

While maintaining his respect for India and its Prime Minister, Trump questioned the necessity of spending millions on voter turnout in a foreign country, adding, “I have a lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. He just left, as you know, two days ago. But we’re giving USD 21 million for voter turnout. It’s voter turnout in India. What about, like, voter turnout here? Oh, we’ve done that, I guess. We did USD 500 million, didn’t we? It’s called the lockboxes.”

This comes after US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) posted a list of cancelled US taxpayer-funded initiatives with a mention of USD 21 million earmarked for “voter turnout in India.”

The DOGE-headed by Elon Musk, announced cancelling a USD 22 million funding intended for “voter turnout in India” on February 16. In a post on X, DOGE listed the number of spendings by the US taxpayer that have been cancelled, including “USD 21M for voter turnout in India.”