NGOs aligned with Congress attempted to influence polls in country, says BJP

BJP leaders claim that Congress LoP Rahul Gandhi sought help from democracies abroad, USAID funds to NGOs increased under NDA rule; U.S. President says USAID allocated ₹21 million to fund “voter turnout” in India

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (February 20, 2025) alleged that NGOs aligned with the Congress and against Prime Minister Narendra Modi have attempted to influence elections in India, citing the remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump about the previous Biden administration’s decision to allocate $21 million to fund “voter turnout” in India.

At a press conference, former Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad sought to draw a link between Mr. Trump’s comments and certain remarks made by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, during a recent foreign visit.

“It is a matter of shame what the Congress has done. Rahul Gandhi has made a joke of Indian democracy abroad and sought help from democracies abroad. It means he sought support to help him win as the Congress keeps losing elections,” Mr. Prasad said.

Foreign fund influence

The BJP leader said that the U.S. President had confirmed that $21 million was being given to influence “voter turnout” in India. “Rahul Gandhi used to go abroad and say that democratic countries do not worry about the ‘threats’ to Indian democracy…” he alleged.

“If people do not vote for them, they conspire to use foreign money to influence the elections in India and defame Indian democracy. We condemn it outright, this blatant foreign money interference in India’s democratic process. It is a matter of great shame,” he said.

Influencing political outcomes

The BJP’s IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya posted on X, alleging that there was a “systematic attempt to influence the 2024 general election to ensure an alternate outcome”.

“USAID funding has been linked to influencing political outcomes, particularly during election years. Under the UPA government (2004–2013), the Indian government received $204.28 million, while NGOs received $2,114.96 million. Under the NDA (2014–2024), government funding dropped to $1.51 million (as of 2015), while NGO funding increased to $2,579.73 million,” he said.

“Funding for ‘Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance’ spiked in 2022, coinciding with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. USAID stopped funding the Government of India after 2015,” Mr. Malviya claimed.

(with inputs from agencies)

Published - February 21, 2025 12:37 am IST