Editorial: Misplaced priorities

The controversy surrounding USAID's alleged funding for "voter turnout in India" has exposed the lack of a mature political discourse in the country even as radical shifts are taking place around the world. The mutual recrimination that the BJP and Congress are engaging in is emblematic of a malaise in which foreign policy issues are fodder for domestic political skirmishes, often devoid of substantive debate.

The uproar began when Elon Musk announced that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has scrapped proposals amounting to $486 million in grants to the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” which included a contentious $21 million earmarked for "voter turnout in India." This announcement quickly spiralled into accusations from BJP suggesting that Congress had orchestrated a scheme to receive these funds under the guise of increasing voter participation, aiming to dislodge the BJP from power. Such claims are not only unfounded but represent a significant leap of logic unsupported by credible evidence.

President Trump supplied further cues to BJP with remarks insinuating that these funds were meant to “get somebody elected”. The party’s propaganda ecosystem amplified these cues to put the Congress in the dock although media reports have clarified that the $21 million was actually allocated for Bangladesh, not India. Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi remarked that “there is not an iota of truth” in the claims that any agreement was signed with USAID or that any funds were received for any election-related work in India. Despite this, the BJP has failed to correct the narrative, with officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar himself making phlegmatic remarks suggesting that there may be basis to the allegation that there was foreign interference in India’s elections.

This political manoeuvring is occurring against a backdrop of pressing challenges facing India since Trump took office for his second term. The Modi government has to contend with looming reciprocal tariffs on India’s exports to the US, which are set to take effect on April 1. Significant geopolitical shifts triggered by an unpredictable US administration present India with the challenge of recalibrating its foreign policy with respect to the Ukraine war, stability in the Middle East and relations with Europe, China and Russia. At such a critical juncture, what India needs is not petty political squabbling but a coherent strategy to navigate these turbulent waters. The government must prioritize foreign policy over domestic bickering and present a unified front to address these challenges.

Moreover, even if we entertain the notion that USAID funds were aimed at increasing voter turnout in Indian elections, we must contextualise this within the broader landscape of electoral financing in India. The $21 million figure pales in comparison to the thousands of crores funnelled into the BJP’s coffers through corporate electoral bonds. If fairness is a democratic value we aspire to uphold, then scrutiny should also extend to the partisan role played by institutions like the Election Commission, India's judiciary and investigative agencies like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department, which have patently facilitated the ruling party in multiple elections since 2014. The nation looks to PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar to address, both in Parliament and in public, the challenges facing the current administration with respect to US tariffs and geopolitical adventurism rather than amuse themselves with the discomfiture of political opponents.