Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in the weekly media presser said that the revelations that have surfaced are “deeply troubling”
In response to US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the Biden administration provided USD 21 million dollars to “get someone else elected” in India, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the weekly media presser that the revelations regarding the US funding in India are “deeply troubling.” Jaiswal added that the development has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.
He added, “It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage, so relevant authorities are looking into, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently.”
Trump attacked the Biden administration
While addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Florida on Thursday, Trump questioned the United States’ allocation of USD 21 million for voter turnout efforts in India.
Trump said, “21 million dollars in voter turnout – why do we need to spend 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government… Because when we hear that Russia spent about two thousand dollars in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for two thousand dollars. This is a total breakthrough.
What did Trump say on India’s economic position?
In his address, the US President also acknowledged India’s strong economic position as well as high tariffs on US goods, as he stated, “They got a lot of money. They’re one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us. We can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high.”
Trump also questioned the necessity of spending millions on voter turnout in a foreign country, adding, “I have a lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. He just left, as you know, two days ago. But we’re giving USD 21 million for voter turnout. It’s voter turnout in India. What about, like, voter turnout here? Oh, we’ve done that, I guess. We did USD 500 million, didn’t we? It’s called the lockboxes.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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