Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has strongly refuted reports claiming that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated $21 million to boost voter turnout in India. His response followed the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) decision to cancel the alleged funding.
Quraishi took to social media, stating that these reports lacked any factual basis. “The report in a section of media about an MoU by the ECI in 2012, when I was CEC, for funding of certain million dollars by a US agency for raising voter turnout in India does not have an iota of fact,” he posted.
He clarified that during his tenure as CEC, an MoU was signed with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in 2012, similar to agreements the Election Commission of India (ECI) had with other election bodies for training purposes at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).
He categorically denied any financial commitment, stating, “There was no financing or even promise of finance involved in MoU, forget X or Y amount.”
BJP Alleges Foreign Interference in Elections
Senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli questioned the alleged US interest in India’s electoral system, asking why any US agency would allocate such a large sum for election-related activities in India. “We are the world’s largest democracy. Free and fair elections are held here. Institutionally, there are mechanisms that ensure free and fair elections, including the Election Commission of India,” Kohli said. He further accused the Congress of engaging with foreign entities such as Cambridge Analytica in past attempts to influence India’s elections.
“Certainly, if anyone has received money under it, that has to be made clear, and if something like that is being stopped, it is in the larger interest of freedom of democracy without interference,” he added.
BJP Questions Congress Over Alleged Foreign Links
Following DOGE’s announcement to cut international funding, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a scathing attack on the Congress, asking which “powers” had allegedly received foreign grants to interfere in India’s electoral process.
He claimed that in 2011, IFES signed an agreement with the India International Institute of Election Management, a body linked to the ECI, with financial support from the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening. He also alleged that George Soros’ Open Society Foundation had invested millions in India through USAID and other channels.
The BJP further accused former CEC SY Quraishi of involvement in this foreign funding row, linking the matter to Congress and its allies. “Views of (George) Soros and Uncle Sam (Pitroda) are similar. Whatever Sam Pitroda has said… it appears that the lyrics are by Sam Pitroda, and the music is composed by Soros and Congress,” Trivedi remarked. Meanwhile, DOGE officials confirmed the cancellation of the $21 million program for India and a separate $29 million initiative for Bangladesh, citing cost-cutting measures.
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