The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, announced yesterday (Sunday) that it would halt financial aid to Bangladesh and India.
According to DOGE, the United States’ charity organization USAID used to provide $21 million to increase voter turnout in India and $29 million to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh. However, these grants have now been canceled.
After President Donald Trump took office, Elon Musk was appointed to lead DOGE, tasked with reducing “unnecessary” government expenditures. Since then, he has taken a strong stance against USAID.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advisor, Sanjeev Sanyal, has questioned who received this USAID funding in India and Bangladesh. He remarked, “USAID is the biggest scandal in human history. I would be very happy to know who received and spent $21 million to increase voter turnout in India and who received $29 million to strengthen Bangladesh’s political landscape.”
Following DOGE’s decision to cancel the voter turnout funding in India, the issue has sparked widespread discussion in the country. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that foreign powers are interfering in their internal affairs. However, former Indian Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi dismissed DOGE’s claims as completely “baseless.”