NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday intensified its attack on the Congress over USAID funding, calling Rahul Gandhi a “traitor” and accusing him of working with foreign forces to destabilize India. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia dismissed media reports stating that the USD 21 million USAID grant in 2022 was for Bangladesh, calling it a “cover-up.”
Bhatia claimed that USAID funding during the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2013) amounted to over USD 2,000 million, whereas it significantly dropped to USD 1.5 million under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He alleged that increased funding to NGOs during Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra aimed to strengthen him politically against Modi.
Labeling the yatra as an attempt to “break India,” Bhatia accused the Congress of betraying the Constitution and the country’s interests. He also suggested that Rahul Gandhi could face legal consequences over his alleged ties to foreign funding.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya criticized media reports dismissing USAID links to India, pointing to a 2012 MoU between the Election Commission of India and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), funded by George Soros’s Open Society Foundation. Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi refuted claims of US agency funding influencing voter turnout in India.
Bhatia further linked Gandhi to foreign figures like US lawmaker Ilhan Omar and organizations allegedly opposing India’s interests. He accused Sonia Gandhi of supporting a resolution that endorsed Kashmir’s independence when she co-chaired the Forum of the Democratic Leaders-Asia Pacific (FDL-AP). “Rahul and Sonia Gandhi are betraying India,” he claimed.
