&w=3840&q=100)
US Congressman says $21mn USAID for voter turnout in India never existed, refutes Trump's claim
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, on, February 13. Reuters
Senior US Congressman Gregory Meeks on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump's claim that the American government had provided $21 million through USAID to boost voter turnout in India, saying that it 'never existed.'
'The President claimed there was a wasteful $21 million grant to India. That grant never existed,' said Meeks, a Democrat and the top-ranking opposition member on the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Earlier this year, Trump repeatedly alleged that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated $21 million to support voter turnout in India. 'We're giving $21 million for voter turnout in India… What about us? I want voter turnout too,' Trump said, implying the funds were meant to influence India's elections.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The claim triggered a political storm in India, prompting a response from the Ministry of External Affairs. 'We have seen media reports regarding the alleged allocation of US funds for election-related activities in India. This is deeply troubling, and all relevant government agencies are examining the matter. India takes its sovereignty and electoral integrity very seriously,' said ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also voiced concern, saying, 'It's worrisome. If there's something to it, the country should know. India's elections are for Indians—we have zero tolerance for any foreign interference.'
However, even at the time, there was no clear evidence that such a grant had been given to any Indian organisation. US media later reported that the $21 million was actually designated for Bangladesh, which was also preparing for national elections—not for India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Tablighi Jamaat verdict shows how easily fear can be weaponised to target marginalised groups
In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when fear and uncertainty gripped the nation, the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi had become a lightning rod for blame, stigma, and sensationalism. The Delhi High Court's recent verdict (in Mohd Anwar and Ors vs State NCT of Delhi), quashing FIRs against 70 Indian nationals accused of sheltering attendees, exposes a troubling truth — while the virus spread silently, another contagion raged unchecked: The epidemic of misinformation and prejudice. In a detailed judgment running into 51 pages, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna discharged the Indian nationals and others who were accused of 'sheltering attendees of Tablighi Jamaat' in their homes during Covid-19. The Court held, 'In these peculiar circumstances, the question of human rights arose whereby their movement was curtailed on account of the pandemic and they were compelled to remain in the Markaz, where they had already congregated since prior to the Declaration of Lockdown. The congregation had not been subsequent to the Notification under Section 144 CrPC. They were helpless people, who got confined on account of lockdown.' The High Court also said, 'The continuation of these Chargesheets would tantamount be abuse of the process and also is not in the interest of Justice, in terms of the principles enunciated in the case of Bhajan Lal (supra).' The court's sharp observation — that there was no evidence that the accused spread Covid or violated prohibitory orders — raises uncomfortable questions. Were these individuals unfairly vilified in a media trial that outpaced facts? Did the rush to assign blame overshadow the real failures in pandemic management? This judgment of the Delhi High Court, is not just a legal vindication but a mirror to be held up to society, reflecting how easily fear can distort justice. In the FIRs, the accused were held for violating Section 144 of the CrPC and flouting disaster management laws. However, the Delhi High Court ruling dismantled these claims, noting that the accused were already present at the Markaz before the lockdown and they hadn't congregated afterward, nor was there proof they knew of the prohibitory orders. This was not the first time that criminal proceedings have been quashed against Tablighi Jamaat members. Even in December 2020 (State vs Mohd Jamal), the Saket district court in Delhi had acquitted 36 foreign nationals who were held by the police. While acquitting all of them, the court said that they had been picked up from different places so as to maliciously prosecute them. Earlier when the Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions regarding fake news about Jamaat members, then Chief Justice C V Ramana flagged an observation, saying that the problem is everything in this country is shown with a communal angle by a section of the media. The country is going to get a bad name ultimately,' adding 'I don`t know why everything is given a communal angle,' he observed. The Tablighi Jamaat episode will be remembered not just for its legal outcome, but for what it revealed about India's pandemic-era psyche. When the judiciary had to step in to correct a narrative hijacked by hysteria, it exposed the perils of justice delayed and democracy distorted — by unchecked prejudice. The real 'super-spreader' wasn't a religious gathering, but institutional overreach and the toxic blend of misinformation. The judgment serves as a cautionary tale that in times of crisis, the line between vigilance and vilification is perilously thin. While all the accused have been discharged, the prejudice which has been amplified through biased news reporting and unverified broadcasts will stay with them forever. The episode, it seems, was never about public health violations, but more about how a community was scapegoated, humiliated and portrayed as the reason for 'spreading' Covid-19. A public health crisis was made into a communal witch hunt. Beyond the courtroom, this episode exposes a deeper malaise: How easily fear can be weaponised to target marginalised groups. The stigma attached to the Jamaat's name lingers, even after its exoneration by the judiciary. Reputational damage, after all, is far harder to undo than legal charges. If we have to learn anything from this whole episode of malicious prosecution, it is that public health emergencies demand unity, not division. The writer is an advocate practising at the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
In tit-for-tat move, India extends airspace closure for Pakistani airlines till August 24
Following Pakistan's decision to extend the closure of its airspace for Indian aircraft and airlines by a month — till the morning of August 24 — India has also announced the extension of its ban on Pakistani airlines and aircraft from entering Indian airspace for the same period, according to a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by India's aviation authorities. Pakistan had issued its NOTAM on July 18, a few days before the July 24 expiration of the earlier closure notice. After this extension by Pakistan, India was also likely to extend the closure of its airspace for Pakistani airlines and aircraft beyond July 24, when the earlier Indian NOTAM was also set to expire. Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, as diplomatic relations between Delhi and Islamabad deteriorated, Pakistan on April 24 shut its airspace to Indian aircraft and Indian airlines for at least a month, banning them from overflying its airspace. On April 30, India, too, closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft and airlines. Since then, both countries have been extending their airspace closures by issuing NOTAMs on a monthly basis. The two countries have only banned each other's airlines and aircraft from their respective airspaces, but they remain open for overflying for airlines and aircraft from other countries. The new NOTAM issued by India is similar to the previous notices, except for the effective duration of airspace closure. India will keep its airspace closed to Pakistani airlines and aircraft, including military flights, till 5:29 India time on August 24. The latest NOTAM from Pakistan on airspace closure has the same expiration date and time. With the Pakistani airspace not available to them, around 800 flights a week of Indian airlines are being impacted by longer durations, increased fuel burn, and a few other complexities related to crew and flight scheduling, all of which are increasing operational costs for the carriers. Indian airlines' flights from North India to West Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the UK, and North America's eastern region switched from their routine paths to longer routes, adding anywhere between 15 minutes to a few hours to the journey, depending on the distance and the location of the destination. For Pakistan, however, the impact of India's airspace closure has been rather insignificant because, unlike India's booming aviation sector, Pakistan's struggling flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has a limited international footprint, and that too largely to the west of the country. According to airline schedule data from Cirium, PIA operates just six flights a week — to and from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, from Lahore and Islamabad—that were routinely flying over India. All major Indian airlines operate international flights to destinations to the west of the country, and many of these flights were routinely overflying Pakistan. Air India operates flights to West Asia, Europe, the UK, and North America. IndiGo operated flights to West Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, but had to suspend flights to the Central Asian cities of Almaty and Tashkent from Delhi as they were now outside the operational range of its existing fleet of narrow-body aircraft. Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet's west-bound international flights are to destinations in West Asia. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, currently there are almost 400 weekly westward international departures from North Indian airports — Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, and Lucknow — that were routinely flying over Pakistan. Given that all these flights have return legs, the total number of affected flights goes up to around 800 from these airports. Of these, around 640 flights are from or to India's largest airport — Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport — which is likely to be the most affected due to the move by Pakistan. Additionally, a handful of ultra-long-haul flights from other Indian cities like Mumbai are also getting impacted as their flight paths used to go through the Pakistani airspace. When Pakistan closed its airspace for over four months in 2019, Indian airlines are estimated to have lost around Rs 700 crore due to higher fuel expenses and operational complications that came with longer routes many of their flights were forced to take. Air India was the worst affected Indian carrier at the time, as it operated more west-bound international flights than other airlines. Moreover, it was and continues to be the only Indian airline that operates ultra-long-haul flights to North America. Air India, now a Tata group entity, is understood to have informed the government that the Pakistani airspace closure is estimated to cost the airline around $600 million on an annualised basis. Over the past few years, other Indian airlines —particularly IndiGo — have also expanded their international networks to include various destinations that can be served by their existing fleets that mainly comprises narrow-body jets. IndiGo is the only Indian airline that was flying to destinations in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
AIU joint secretary suspended after gross mismanagement at World University Games
On the directive of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has suspended joint secretary Baljit Singh Sekhon after controversies related to mismanagement in athletes participation emerged from the ongoing World University Games in Rhine Ruhr, Germany. Sekhon is head of the Indian delegation and currently in Germany. He was one of the key officials responsible for shortlisting officials accompanying the Indian contingent for the July 16 to 27 World University Games. The administrative panel of AIU, in an order dated 22 July 2025, has set up a four-member panel to probe the criticism that has embarrassed the nation on a global stage. 'In view of the communication dated 21 July 2025 received from the Office of the Executive Director, Sports Authority of India (SAI), and recent reports published by various national media outlets concerning the reported non-inclusion of Indian athletes, exclusion of designated coaches, procedural lapses in the registration process, and penalties imposed for non-compliance with jersey specifications during the FISU World University Games 2025 (Germany), the Hon'ble President of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)… hereby place Dr. Baljit Singh Sekhon, Joint Secretary under suspension with immediate effect,' the letter in possession of The Indian Express read. The four-member panel set by AIU on Tuesday will probe official apathy and mismanagement at the ongoing World University Games in Germany and will have to submit its inquiry report within 15 days. Earlier on Tuesday, Association of Indian Universities (AIU) had come under the scanner of the Sports Ministry following allegations of 'mismanagement and incompetence' at the ongoing World University Games in Germany. The Ministry wants to revamp the organisation after introduction of the National Sports Governance Bill in Parliament on Wednesday. The bronze-winning Indian badminton squad at the ongoing Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, found itself in controversy when it came to light that six of the 12 chosen players were barred from participating after Indian officials failed to submit all names correctly during the managers' meeting on July 16. 'It is clear that the body is unable to manage University sports. University sports is our best bet to create world-class athletes and still there are so many gaps leading to mismanagement,' a sports ministry source said. 'A revamp is needed and the solution is to have a proper functioning federation instead of nodal bodies to operate University sports,' the source added. While AIU and Sports Games Federation of India (SGFI) are not counted as National Sports Federations (NSFs), they remain the representative bodies for events like World University Games conducted by International University Sports Federation. Apart from the badminton gaffe, athletics also suffered as names were removed from the start list at the last moment. Quarter-miler Devyaniba Zala took to Instagram to point out that her name went missing from the start list at the last moment. 'I was told that I will run in 400m and Relays when they selected me for the University Games. However, my name was not present in the start list for the 400m due to the causal approach,' Zala told The Indian Express over a phone call. 'I was in good shape to run my personal best and have been preparing for this event for a long time,' she added. Similar to Zala, Federation Cup silver medalist Seema couldn't compete in the 10,000m event as her name was missing too from the entry list. Adding to the selection blunders, AIU was also fined 1000 euros for flouting the jersey regulations in badminton. As per the BWF rules, the last name, as recorded in the BWF database, and if desired, the initials of first name can be printed on the back of a jersey. The same rule was followed at the 2025 World University Games. However, in a violation of the rule, the Indian jerseys had full names of the players printed on the back. 'This is gross negligence and ignorance,' a player said on the condition of anonymity. The efforts to reach AIU officials via phone and text went unanswered.
