NEW DELHI: Dubbing the claims of US President Donald Trump about 2012 USAID funds to India as “nonsensical”, Congress Thursday asked the Modi govt to issue a white paper on the agency’s funds to the country over the decades.
AICC spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said, “USAID is very much in the news these days. It was set up on Nov 3, 1961. Claims being made by the US President are typically nonsensical to say the least. Even so, Govt of India should bring out a white paper at the earliest detailing USAID’s support to both governmental and non-governmental institutions in India over the decades (sic).”
Congress functionaries have said the USAID fund in 2012 for increasing voter turnout in India could only have benefitted BJP, as the latter was in opposition and then came to office in 2014. They have argued that the funds could not have been to benefit Congress as it was in office and did not require to increase the turnout. At the same time, Congress has also posted photographs of BJP neta and former Union minister Smriti Irani as “goodwill ambassador” of the agency, and said that she worked closely with the US agency.