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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday levelled serious allegations against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, saying that he has "conspired to weaken the Indian democracy".
Citing US President Donald Trump, Prasad said that 21 million USD were allocated to influence voter turnout in India. "Donald Trump has confirmed that 21 million USD (United States dollars) was being given to influence the voter turnout in India. We have been raising this issue earlier. He was conspiring to weaken the Indian democracy. He was appealing to make him win in the elections. What Congress has done is a matter of disgrace for the country," Prasad, former Union Minister, told reporters in a press conference. The BJP MP linked the issue with statements made by Rahul Gandhi during his trips abroad, saying, "Rahul Gandhi when abroad, used to say why the bigger democratic nations don't worry about democracy being in danger in India." This comes after Trump questioned the United States' allocation of USD 21 million for voter turnout efforts in India, comparing it to concerns over foreign interference in American elections while addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Florida. Highlighting the disparity, he stated, "21 million dollars in voter turnout - why do we need to spend 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government... Because when we hear that Russia spent about two thousand dollars in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for two thousand dollars. This is a total breakthrough." Trump further pointed out India's strong economic position and high tariffs on US goods, stating, "They got a lot of money. They're one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us. We can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high." Trump questioned the necessity of spending millions on voter turnout in a foreign country, adding, "I have a lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. He just left, as you know, two days ago. But we're giving USD 21 million for voter turnout. It's voter turnout in India. What about, like, voter turnout here? Oh, we've done that, I guess. We did USD 500 million, didn't we? It's called the lockboxes." (ANI)
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