New Delhi, Feb 21 Congress leader Pawan Khera has dismissed the claims made by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who stated that Congress is the "B-Team" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking to IANS, Khera remarked, "We were in power here for 15 years, much longer than the BJP, which ruled for only five years. It is our duty to reclaim our lost ground. Calling us the B-Team is completely wrong."
Earlier in the day, BSP chief Mayawati advised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to look into himself before blaming others, especially the BSP chief, in any matter. In a series of posts on social media X, she also accused the Congress party of acting like a "B" team of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections, thereby, helping it to come to power.
Reacting to US President Donald Trump's claims over a USAID grant of $21 million for "voter turnout" in India, Pawan Khera cited the report of a leading English daily that "clarified" the funds in question were actually allocated for Bangladesh in 2022, not India.
Speaking at an event in Miami, Trump said, "Why do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India? Wow, $21 million! I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected." He implied that the Biden administration was attempting to interfere in India's elections through financial aid.
Khera criticised PM Modi's government and questioned its intelligence, "Now the truth behind this claim has been exposed. The Indian Express today revealed that the money was actually sent to Bangladesh. We are asking: if we assume, for a moment, that America was trying to destabilise the Indian government, then where was PM Modi then, sleeping? Where was his intelligence? Where was Ajit Doval? Where was his so-called ‘Chanakya’ strategy? How did $21 million reach Bangladesh without them knowing? They must answer this."
Khera also drew a historical comparison, highlighting former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assertiveness against American interference during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
"There was a time when Indira Gandhi stood up to America during the Bangladesh War of 1971. And today, our Prime Minister doesn’t even realize that America has allegedly spent $21 million to interfere in a neighbouring country’s democracy. If the PM Modi government was unaware, how can they falsely claim this money was sent to India," said Khera.
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