New Delhi: In what could potentially be one of the biggest raids in the Modi government’s history, the Narendra Modi government has launched investigations against foreign entities and individuals who may have been compromising India’s sovereignty or interfering in its internal affairs.
According to sources, India and the U.S. have shared a voluminous list of names, ranging from NGOs, individuals, journalists, academics, and think tanks. Both governments are currently reviewing this list, and their actions will depend on the details of financial transactions and foreign interactions.
The probe is apparently based on what both the Indian and U.S. regimes already had in hand. This follows allegations that foreign-funded organisations are trying to meddle in Indian politics. The Indian government has also started questioning USAID-linked people for detailed questionnaires and counting of foreign trips. Investigations into some suspect financial activities have also led to speculation that external forces may be impinging on Indian domestic politics.
This is particularly concerning in light of the upcoming 2024 Indian General Elections. In a new announcement, the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Elon as the head honcho, has just revoked a $21 million taxpayer-funded grant awarded by the previous administration of President Joe Biden.
The project funding was included in a larger budget of $486 million identified for the ‘Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,’ which aims to manipulate the electoral processes of nations such as India. The DOGE’s abolition of the grant has intensified foreign intervention in India’s elections.
However, these revelations have not significantly altered the perspective of opposition leaders. The head of media and publicity of the Congress Party, Pawan Khera, posed on the social media platform X, stating why the opposition will take money to lose the 2024 elections.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh weighed in on the escalating row over USAID, saying, “There has been a lot of chatter about USAID in recent days. This wilful ignorance of history is ludicrous, at the very least, given that the CIA was established on November 3, 1961. The Indian government must publish a white paper outlining the assistance USAID has given to government and non-government agencies in India over the decades.”
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