New Delhi/IBNS: The country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and primary opposition Congress are engaged in a heated exchange of words over US President Donald Trump's claim that $21 million was spent by the Biden administration to improve voter turnout in India.

The Congress on Friday cited a news article claiming the fund was directed to Bangladesh and not India in 2022.

Sharing the news report on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote, "Lies first mouthed in Washington. Lies then amplified by BJP's Jhoot Sena. Lies made to be debated on Godi media. Lies now thoroughly exposed. Will the Liars apologise?"

Hitting back at the Congress, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya called the news report "fake" and posted on X, "A day after US President Donald Trump spoke about $21 million being sent to India for voter turnout, he has reiterated the charge. And no, he is not confusing it with the $29 million funneled into Bangladesh. This time, he has also mentioned kickbacks.

"Essentially, this money is also used to sustain deep-state assets who work to defend and deflect such revelations. We are now witnessing the same pattern unfold in India."

Malviya shared a report and added, "Elon Musk called USAID a ‘criminal organization’ after Donald Trump freezing the agency’s funding to the tune of $486 million. DOGE described the money spent by USAID on programmes as ‘extravagant absurdities’. But their defenders in India are up in arms."

Quite contrary to what Congress claims, billionaire Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stated the $21 million was part of a larger $486 million budget allocated to the "Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening."

A separate $29 million was slated for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh" - a country that witnessed political turmoil amid allegations of US 'deep state' involvement in the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

'A kickback scheme'

In a recent remark, US President Donald Trump called the Biden administration's funding to improve voter turnout in India "a kickback scheme", days after billionaire DOGE scrapped the grant.

Speaking at an event in Washington, Trump on Thursday said, "21 million dollars for a voter turnout in India, why are we caring about Indian turnout, we got enough problems. We want our own turnout, don’t we? Can you imagine all that money going to India, I wonder what they think when they get it."

"Now it’s a kickback scheme, they get it, they spend it, they kick it back to the people that sent it. And I would say in many of these cases, anytime you have no idea what we’re talking about, that means there’s a kickback, because nobody has any idea what’s going on," he added.

'They were trying to get somebody else elected'

Trump has accused the Biden administration of meddling in Indian politics and trying to influence the country's election results with the now scrapped fund of $21 million.

Speaking at a summit in Miami on Wednesday, Trump said, "Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government... This is a total breakthrough."