“They take advantage of us pretty good.”
Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been accused of triggering a political storm in India after it claimed the US government had sent millions to support Indian elections.
A list published on Musk’s X made the allegation.
DOGE, a special group created by Donald Trump, claimed a $21 million USAid grant for “voter turnout in India” had been cancelled under the president’s foreign aid cuts.
But records found no such funds were ever sent to India.
USAid staff also denied the programme’s existence.
Instead, documents show the $21 million was allocated to a non-profit in Bangladesh promoting political engagement. The country has faced a harsh crackdown on the opposition.
Trump seized on the false claim to discredit USAid and justify deep funding cuts.
Musk boasted: “DOGE is feeding USAid into the wood chipper.”
Speaking in Miami, Trump told the crowd: “What do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India for?
“Wow, $21 million. I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected.”
The next day, he repeated the claim at another event.
He alleged the $21 million was “going to my friend Prime Minister Modi in India for voter turnout”.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference, he said the figure was “$18 million for helping India with its elections”, calling it a “kickback scheme”.
He added: “They take advantage of us pretty good.”
Trump’s comments came days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington. Trump called Modi a “great leader” while Modi called Trump a “friend”.
Trump’s claims made waves in India.
Modi’s BJP has long accused international groups of trying to undermine it.
Some of the world’s most respected organisations, including Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have shut down in India due to government pressure.
Several BJP leaders backed Trump’s claims.
Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, said: “Trump has confirmed that there was indeed an attempt to influence the Indian election and install someone other than Prime Minister Modi.”
India’s vice-president, Jagdeep Dhankhar, said he was “shocked… the democratic process of this country was sought to be manipulated to dent the purity of our electoral system”.
Sanjeev Sanyal, an economic advisor to Modi, called USAid the “biggest scam in human history”.
Foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called the claims “concerning”.
Government spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described them as “deeply troubling”.
India’s civil society groups expressed fears the allegations would justify a further crackdown on their funding.
India’s opposition Congress party accused the BJP of spreading “fake news from America” while staying silent as Trump and Musk insulted India.
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said: “Elon Musk made a fake claim, Trump got confused between Dhaka and Delhi.
“The BJP should just answer this: Why did the BJP spread fake news about India’s democracy?”
Loading ...