Tool for foreign agencies: BJP jabs Rahul Gandhi after Trump's poll meddling claim

BJP leader Amit Malviya said that Trump's statement "confirmed" that there was an attempt to influence election in India and to install someone other than PM Modi. 

In Short

• Trump alleges USAID funds aimed at influencing India's election
• Amit Malviya criticises Rahul Gandhi after Trump's claims
• Congress demands white paper on USAID's role in India

The BJP has gone after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, calling him a “tool for foreign agencies” after US President Donald Trump claimed that USAID funds were being used to interfere in India's election. Trump insinuated that the previous Joe Biden administration's move to provide USD 21 million to India to "improve voter turnout" was a likely attempt to "to get somebody else elected".

BJP leader Amit Malviya said that Trump’s statement “confirmed” that there was an attempt to influence election in India and to install someone other than PM Modi.

Amit Malviya slammed Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and said that a year before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress leader was in London and “urging foreign powers to intervene in India’s internal affairs”.

“It is not just an Indian battle... In March 2023, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Rahul Gandhi was in London, urging foreign powers—from the US to Europe—to intervene in India’s internal affairs. He has aligned himself with global networks seeking to undermine India’s strategic and geopolitical interests, acting as a tool for foreign agencies,” Amit Malviya said.

Malviya shared a clip of Rahul Gandhi speaking at an event in London in 2023.

“The surprising thing is that the so-called defenders of democracy, which are the United States and the European countries, seems to be just oblivious that a huge chunk of democratic model has come undone, which is a real problem... The Opposition is fighting the battle and it’s not just an Indian battle, it’s actually a much more important battle...” Rahul Gandhi can be heard saying in the clip.

Malviya shared the clip on Thursday and doubled down on the criticism the BJP had levelled against Congress and Rahul Gandhi then.

The BJP had accused Rahul Gandhi of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention.

CONGRESS ON TRUMP’S CLAIMS

US President Donald Trump hinted at Joe Biden administration’s interference in the Indian election. Speaking at Saudi Arabia government-backed FII Priority Summit in Miami on Wednesday night, Trump said, "Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they (Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government. This is a total breakthrough."

Reacting to the claims, Congress demanded that the government should bring out a white paper detailing USAID's support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India.

A white paper is an authoritative and in-depth report on a specific topic.

Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said, “USAID is very much in the news these days. It was set up on November 3, 1961. Claims being made by the US President are typically nonsensical to say the least. Even so, the government of India should bring out a White Paper at the earliest detailing USAID's support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India over the decades.”