She left India after 2024 Lok Sabha polls and after her 'mission change regime' did not oust Narendra Modi.
Veena Reddy, an Andhra Pradesh-born American diplomat, served as the USAID mission director for India and Bhutan from August 2021 to July 2024.
The BJP has urged Indian investigative agencies to seize USAID’s accounts in India and trace the disbursement of the $21 million.
BJP leader Mahesh Jethmalani, also a senor counsel, emphasised the need to uncover any individuals or organisations complicit in using these funds to subvert India’s democratic processes.
Ms Reddy is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service and has an extensive background in international development. Before her tenure in India, she held leadership roles in USAID’s missions in Cambodia, Haiti and Pakistan.
She "focused" on economic development, governance and humanitarian aid.
She was the first Indian-American to lead the agency’s operations in these countries. On July 17, 2024, Reddy announced her return to the United States, a little over a month after the conclusion of India’s general elections.
"So #DOGE has discovered that #USAID allocated $21million for “voter turnout” in India ,a euphemism for paying voters to cast their votes to effect regime change. #VeenaReddy was sent to India in 2021 ( ominous?) as head of USAIDs Indian mission," writes BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani.
"Post #loksabha elections 2024 ( presumably her voter turnout mission done) she returned to the US. Pity because investigating agencies here could have asked her some questions about who this money was given to for applying it to voter turnout operations," Jethmalani said on X.
He also accused Reddy of working in close tandem with US Ambassador Eric Garcetti to execute the agency’s objectives.
During her three-year tenure in India, USAID collaborated with multiple Indian government agencies, including NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Power, Indian Railways, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
USAID-backed programs also focused on economic development, human rights and governance reforms.
The US President's revelation fueled a political slug-fest.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad linked Trump’s remarks to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s past statements in 2023, accusing him of seeking international intervention in India’s democracy.
In response, the Congress sounding defensive dismissed Trump’s claims as “nonsensical” and demanded a white paper detailing USAID’s support to Indian institutions over the years.
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| Blogger |
Donald Trump claimed that the previous Joe Biden administration in the US tried to interfere in India's elections by allocating a now-cancelled $21 million grant for voter turnout.
This meant it was intended to influence the outcome. Trump himself said the deep state had worked to 'some one else' in India replacing Narendra Modi.
Former US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, generally made new for wrong reasons and not for improving India-US ties, which was supposedly his primary job.
But he tried to exonerate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist with dual US-Canadian citizenship.
Pannun had threatened Air India, the Indian parliament, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a 31 March, 2024 interview when asked about Pannun and violent anti-Indian protests in the USA and arson at the Indian consulate in San Francisco, Garcetti had replied that India had
“different freedom of speech…Our system protects that speech, for better or worse…we are helping our Indian counterparts understand.”
In November 2024, 'Swarajya' magazine carried a story under the headline -
"Goodbye, Eric Garcetti, And Please Stay Out Of The Business Of Diplomacy"
It said : "Garcetti's tenure has been a disservice to both the United States and India, one characterised by baffling statements, selective amnesia regarding security, and a blatant disregard for India’s legitimate concerns.
His misguided, if not outright irresponsible, remarks about Khalistani extremists and the US’ complicity in shielding them have done nothing to strengthen US-India relations — if anything, they’ve undermined them.
It’s no surprise that Garcetti’s time as Ambassador is coming to an end, and the sooner he’s out of Delhi, the better."
The article also said -
"Garcetti, in his diplomatic naivety, may have thought he could charm his way through these issues, but the reality is that his tenure has only served to alienate India.
His comments have deepened the rift between the two nations, making it clear that the US is not serious about countering the Khalistani threat.
"Garcetti’s confirmation as Ambassador in 2022 came only after years-long battle to save his failing career, tainted by his disgraceful cover-up of sexual harassment by one of his top aides.
As US Ambassador to India, he continued to embarrass himself and the US, fumbling diplomacy and proving, every day, that he was unfit for the job."
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