Harish Salve Demands White Paper On USAID-Deep State Funding In India

New Delhi, India:  Amid the political firestorm over the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revelation that it had revoked US funding intended to influence "voter turnout in India," Harish Salve, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India and King's Counsel in the UK, spoke with Republic TV's Rhythm Anand Bhardwaj, Executive Editor - Law and Governance. Salve talked about organisations acting as “fronts and foundations” to funnel foreign funds, echoing long-standing accusations of foreign interference, notably raised by the late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Speaking to Republic TV, Salve questioned whether activists would call for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into these funding operations, urging that the same level of scrutiny applied to business figures in the past be directed at political players as well.  “I wonder now if any activist will go to the Supreme Court for an S.I.T or court-monitored investigation, B.I.T, F.I.T, C.I.T, K.I.T and have it pursued the way we have had business people pursued and reputations destroyed in the past. Let’s look at these people for a change.”  

Salve traced the roots of foreign interference in Indian politics to the era of the late Prime Minister. He recalled how, regardless of one's stance on her policies, Mrs. Gandhi provided strong leadership for India. However, she often spoke of the "foreign hand" attempting to destabilize the country. Salve said, “You know, your generation may be surprised, I am not. Whether one agreed or disagreed with her policies and I disagreed with a lot of her policies. Mrs. Gandhi provided strong and powerful leadership to India for 16 long years. She always complained about the foreign hand. From those days there were attempts to destabilize India.” 

Salve also showered praise on the Trump administration for addressing these issues openly. “I am happy that this government in Washington is cleaning this dirt, and is cleaning it in public,” he said. Salve expressed concern that if the allegations of foreign interference and deep state funding were true, it would be "deeply saddening" to learn that the Gandhi family may have had connections to such funding.   

Arnab Goswami ’s Expose on USAID and its Political Ties

Salve also pointed to the involvement of Indian figures and their potential links to global foundations saying, “We saw somebody from the family break bread with Indian baiters, so why should this surprise you?” 

Salve's comments come in line with WikiLeaks, a non-profit media organization known for its exposes, referencing Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for exposing USAID's influence operations in India. 

According to WikiLeaks, USAID’s efforts allegedly focused on influencing Indian voter turnout and shaping the political landscape. Arnab had highlighted how "so-called journalists" may have benefited from USAID’s financial support, drawing attention to individuals linked to political circles in India who were reportedly receiving “free lunches” from the agency.

Arnab had also pointed to Sam Pitroda’s NGO, the Global Knowledge Initiative (GKI), as a key player in the alleged funding operation. Pitroda, along with his partners Nina Fedorov and Sarah Farley—both of whom have strong ties to global foundations and government organizations—was reportedly receiving significant funding from USAID and the Rockefeller Foundation.

'USAID Biggest Scam in Human History'

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister Narendra Modi , questioned the US Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) claim

Sanyal questioned the origins and recipients of the $21 million earmarked for India. "Would love to find out who received the US$21mn spent to improve "voter turnout in India" and the US$29mn to "strengthen political landscape in Bangladesh "; not to mention the US$29mn spent to improve "fiscal federalism" in Nepal. USAID is the biggest scam in human history", Sanyal said in a post on X.

DOGE's claim also drew a sharp reaction from Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) leader Amit Malviya. 

The BJP leader said, "$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India's electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!"  

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What Did the DOGE Claim?

The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, announced on Saturday (local time) that it had canceled $22 million in funding intended for "voter turnout in India."

In a post on X, DOGE stated, "US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled..." The cuts included "$21M for voter turnout in India; $29M for strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh; $20M for fiscal federalism in Nepal."

No additional details were provided in the post.

For context, US President Donald Trump appointed Musk to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last month. The department, tasked with improving governance and reducing wasteful spending, made the cuts public in its X post on Saturday.