Experts from Dhaka to Delhi Support Trump's Firm Position on USAID's Role in Undermining Sovereign Governments

New Delhi, Feb 20 (NationPress) Prominent analysts, politicians, diplomats, and strategic affairs specialists in India and its surrounding regions expressed their support on Thursday for US President Donald Trump's remarks that challenged the Biden administration's intentions behind allocating $21 million via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for enhancing voter turnout in India, $29M for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh," and $20M for "fiscal federalism" initiatives in Nepal.

"Why are we allocating $21 million for voter turnout in India? It appears they were attempting to influence elections. We should inform the Indian Government... This is a significant breakthrough," Trump stated at the FII Priority Summit in Miami.

This marked the second occasion within less than a day that the US President criticized the former US administration for interference in Indian electoral processes.

"All these schemes have now been dismantled. Over the past month, we have successfully terminated the operations of USAID, which was financing much of this madness. We have shut down the excessively funded CFPB... What they were doing was atrocious, as was the allocation of funds. We still need to investigate whether any of the money was redirected back to them, and that will be resolved swiftly,” the President added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump endorsed the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) decision to withdraw the $21 million funding aimed at "voter turnout in India."

"Why are we providing $21 million to India? They have ample resources. They are among the highest taxing nations globally; we face significant barriers due to their high tariffs. I respect India and its Prime Minister, but is $21 million for voter turnout in India justified? What about the voter turnout here?" Trump commented during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The DOGE, led by Elon Musk, announced on February 16 the cancellation of the $21 million grant, listing several foreign aid programs - with the India voter turnout initiative being the most prominent - labeled as unnecessary or excessive.

"US taxpayer funds were set to be directed towards the following projects, all of which have now been canceled," the DOGE statement indicated, emphasizing the withdrawal of various international projects, including $29 million for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh" and $39 million aimed at "fiscal federalism" and "biodiversity conservation" in Nepal.

It has long been recognized that foreign, particularly Western, interference in India's electoral processes is not unusual. The $21 million from the dissolved USAID is merely the beginning of the issue. Thankfully, the politically astute Indian electorate is far too savvy for such tactics," Former Indian Ambassador Anil Trigunayat remarked on X.

The DOGE also identified several additional nations where US taxpayer funds had been allocated, all of which have now been canceled.

This included $29M for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh" and $20M for "fiscal federalism" in Nepal.

Concerns are being raised regarding USAID and other organizations' involvement in Bangladesh during the Biden administration and their influence in the removal of the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina last August. All USAID aid programs in Bangladesh have now been suspended.

"At the political level, considering the Trump administration's actions, questions have emerged about the Biden administration's role in orchestrating regime change in Bangladesh last August. High-profile visits to Dhaka by Donald Lu and other senior American officials have raised suspicions. These suspicions now seem to be rooted in reality. Bangladesh is currently struggling to restore stability in its socio-political environment," stated noted Bangladeshi journalist, historian, and political analyst Syed Badrul Ahsan in an interview with IANS.

Another Dhaka-based counter-terrorism expert, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, commended Trump for openly questioning the expenditure of millions of American taxpayers' dollars on "creating chaos" in Bangladesh under the guise of "strengthening democracy."

"The Trump administration should further investigate this matter, including the notorious roles played by Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George and Alex Soros, and Bill and Hillary Clinton in pushing Bangladesh into the clutches of Islamists, jihadists, and looters," Choudhury stated on X.

The government under PM Modi has been a target of this conspiracy since at least 2016, noted strategic affairs analyst Atul Aneja.

"USAID has served as the frontline of the US deep state, with the objective of destabilizing robust sovereign governments by primarily funding overseas NGOs that foster division within host nations based on ethnicity, caste, gender, and the promotion of woke culture," Aneja reported to IANS.

Following the DOGE's announcement regarding USAID, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the opposition Congress party over the $21 million grant, labeling it as "definitely external interference in India's electoral process."

"$21M for voter turnout? This is undoubtedly external interference in India’s electoral processes. Who benefits from this? Certainly not the ruling party!" party leader Amit Malviya remarked.

He also connected the initiative to the "systematic infiltration" of Indian institutions by foreign entities.

Malviya had also criticized Hungarian-born US financier George Soros, who has been accused by several global political leaders of influencing domestic politics through his Open Society Foundations.

"Once again, George Soros, a known associate of the Congress party and the Gandhis, casts a shadow over our electoral process," Malviya asserted.