Following the recent cancellation of a $21 million USAID fund by the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), concerns are mounting over potential foreign interference in India’s electoral process. Newsmobile Editor-in-Chief Saurabh Shukla has called on the Indian government to investigate the covert channels that may have been used to influence the nation’s elections.
After Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s USAID freeze, India must probe who tried to influence Indian elections. @isaurabhshukla #USAID #IndiaUS pic.twitter.com/Xp8croeEAe
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) February 17, 2025
“I would urge the government to utilize diplomatic channels and activate our investigative agencies to name those who are trying to undermine India’s democracy. National security is paramount, and we cannot allow any attempt to compromise the integrity of our elections,” Shukla remarked.
Shukla pointed to a broader international context, drawing parallels with recent calls for transparency by US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in the United States. “This is the time when the momentum is there. Elon Musk and Donald Trump are pushing for complete transparency. There is no reason why India cannot get these names,” he said.
NM EIC Shukla further highlighted how a network of think tanks, NGOs, and even certain media figures may be implicated in efforts to sway public opinion and destabilize India’s independent foreign policy. “We’ve seen how sham conferences and bogus research projects can be used to disseminate narratives that undercut India’s sovereign policy-making. There are people in academia, in the think tank world, even journalists, they all need to be named” he stated.
The Home Ministry, which has already tightened norms for foreign-funded organizations, now faces a challenge to delve deeper into annual reports and financial trails to pinpoint any illicit funding channels. “The Home Ministry has tightened norms, they can easily investigate and find out from the annual reports. Home Ministry has all the agencies at its disposal to make sure who has got this money, which are the organizations which were behind this and name them and then take action,” Shukla stressed.
“India’s national interest should be paramount. We have to make sure that anybody who’s done this to harm election integrity in India Or impact India’s democratic elections has to be named and action has to be taken.,” the NM EIC added.
