As Donald Trump cracks down on USAID, read how the US agency with ties to George Soros tried to undermine Modi govt, bring about 'colour revolution' in India through its affiliates

The Donald Trump administration has cracked down on the controversial United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It has sent senior officials on leave, fired contractors and, most importantly, imposed a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance.

This put an immediate halt to several projects run by USAID in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine and other countries. The website of the ‘independent government agency’ also went offline.

Elon Musk, tasked to head DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), has dubbed USAID a ‘criminal organisation’. “Time for it to die,” he said in a tweet on Sunday (2nd February).

Donald Trump did not hold back and declared, “(USAID) had been run by a bunch of radical lunatics and we are getting them out.”

The incumbent US President has made his plans clear to put USAID under the control of the State Department. This is being done to ensure that foreign assistance henceforth is aligned with the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ goals.

USAID, links to CIA and regime change operations in foreign countries

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was recently appointed the Health and Human Services secretary by the Trump administration, made several revelations about USAID in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson in November 2024.

He informed that the United States Agency for International Development financed the 2014 Maidan Revolution, which led to the removal of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

“There were riots, and it is called the Maidan Rebellion in Ukraine, and we are not told that we are financing those riots. The newspapers never told us, and our government never told us. USAID, which is a CIA front, put 5 billion dollars into funding those riots,” he was heard saying.

“Those riots lead to a coup d’etat against the first elected, democratically elected government of the Ukraine. It was a government that refused to choose sides and to say we were going to be on the side of the West. So we wanted them out,” RFK Jr added.

He pointed out how Victoria Nuland, who was the then spokesperson for the US State Department, was picking the cabinet members of the new Ukranian government.

“USAID doesn’t really do and the CIA doesn’t do democracy. You know, the CIA has overthrown, I think, 83 governments between 1947 and 1997. That’s a third of the governments on Earth and most of them were democracies. It doesn’t do, it doesn’t do democracy,” he had pointed out.

This becomes evident from the recent role played by USAID in fomenting trouble in Bangladesh and orchestrating the undemocratic ouster of the elected Sheikh Hasina-led-government in Bangladesh.

In September 2024, The Sunday Guardian published an explosive piece wherein it revealed that the US administration and its agencies had been conspiring against the Sheikh Hasina-led-government in Bangladesh since March 2019.

Based on its access to classified documents, the weekly newspaper stated that the US government-funded non-profit organisation named International Republican Institute (IRI) is at the helm of the regime change operation.

Screengrab of the article in The Sunday Guardian

“The IRI…was implementing the broader objectives of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The documents also show how the project was necessary to counter-balance India’s “interference”,” the report stated.

The Sunday Guardian noted that IRI is tasked to implement projects, funded by USAID, including a sinister programme named PARIS (Promoting Accountability, Inclusivity, and Resiliency Support Program.”

It ran from March 2019 to January 2021 during which it ‘enhanced political participation’ of Bangladeshis and amplified ‘anti-authoritarianism voices.

The International Republican Institute issued 11 advocacy grants, created 225 ‘art products’ to address social issues, supporters 3 civil society organisations, trained 77 activists, engaged 326 citizens to develop 43 specific policy demands, which were later proposed before 65 Bangladeshi govt officials.

It ran another PARIS campaign between February 2021 and September 2022 on a grant of $900,000 to influence public opinion against Sheikh Hasina.

The controversial United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed an agreement to provide $202 million (~2414 crore Taka) to the interim government in Bangladesh, led by ‘American asset‘ Muhammad Yunus.

The objective ‘on paper’ behind the financial aid is supposedly to empower youth, strengthen democracy and governance and bring about development in Bangladesh.

Screengrab of the report by the Council of Hemispheric Studies

According to a research report published by the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, USAID interference led to the 2018 uprising in Nicaragua. An extraordinary leaked document revealed the US government’s plan to interfere with the internal affairs in Nicaragua before and after the 2021 presidential election.

The 14-page extract of a much longer document outlined a contract of USAID to create “the environment for Nicaragua’s transition to democracy.” William Grigsby from Radio La Primerisima revealed the plan in the document that described how USAID worked with various NGOs, think tanks, media organisations and human rights bodies to support opposition to the Ortega government.

To support and justify the interference by the US body, the document misrepresented historical events such as claims that the Sandinista party manipulated the elections even though the Organization of American States (OAS) acknowledged there were only minor irregularities. Furthermore, it also rewrote the 2018 uprising narrative ignoring the fact that the opposition indulged in violence and economic disruption.

The US has a long history of interventions in Nicaragua dating back to 1856. The existence of such documents that revealed the plan of the US’s intervention was not surprising. Notably, Ben Waddell’s article in Global Americans points out that “US support has helped play a role in nurturing the current uprisings,” highlighting the role of US-funded groups in fostering opposition.

USAID has a long history of meddling with Venezuela’s internal affairs as well. According to a 2019 report in People’s World, USAID aligned closely with the National Endowment of Democracy in “Transition Initiatives” to promote the foreign policy goals of the US. The organisation has been an integral part of US efforts to organise humanitarian aid convoys to Venezuela which aligned with the political agenda of the US administration and then-interim president Guaido.

USAID’s Venezuela program supports civil society and democratic governance, echoing the principles of the UN Human Rights Convention. Wikileaks revealed a five-point strategy by the U.S. embassy in Caracas to undermine Chávez. USAID and NED funded opposition groups extensively and the former’s operations often blended humanitarian aid with political motives. The State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources also works to reduce Latin American reliance on Venezuelan energy.

USAID, George Soros and ‘colour revolution’ in India

In March 2017, the Heritage Foundation published a report detailing how USAID worked in close association with far-left billionaire George Soros during the Obama administration to promote its ‘radical agendas’ in several countries.

The report stated, “…Evidence is emerging that during the past eight years, Soros, his Open Societies Foundations (OSF), and their many smaller affiliates have received U.S. taxpayer money through USAID and that USAID has made the OSF the main implementer of its aid.“

Screengrab of the Google cache of the now-deleted USAID website

It may be recalled that George Soros, who worked with USAID, had been eyeing a colour revolution in India.

In February 2023, the far-left billionaire exploited the Adani-Hindenburg controversy and launched a scathing attack on the Indian government.

He claimed, “Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies. Their fate is intertwined…Adani Enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market, but it failed. Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards.”

Soros accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of crony capitalism. “Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament,” he added.

The Hungarian-American billionaire also said that the ‘shakedown’ caused to the Indian markets due to the Hindenburg Research report will result in ‘much needed institutional reforms’ and ‘democratic revival’. 

George Soros and his vicious ecosystem of NGOs, activists and journalists had been trying to prove PM Modi as an ‘electoral autocrat’ who needed to be ousted for the ‘greater good’ of this country. And it has been a work in progress for a long time.

In January 2020, the American billionaire committed $1 billion to start a global university to “fight nationalists” and climate change, calling them twin challenges that threaten the survival of our civilization.

While speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Soros pledged to fund a university project to battle the erosion of civil society in a world increasingly ruled by “would-be and actual dictators” and climate change.

Soros also claimed that the “biggest and most frightening setback” was in India, as he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “creating a Hindu nationalist state.”

The Hungarian-American billionaire has several intellectuals on his payroll, including the former PM Manmohan Singh’s daughter Amrita Singh. Not to forget the curious case of ‘author’ and ‘social activist’ Harsh Mander who had been at the forefront of creating civil unrest during the Anti-CAA protests.

He and his NGO Karwan-e-Mohabbat had been very active in the demonstrations held at Shaheen Bagh. “From now on, the decision will not come from the Supreme Court or Parliament. We saw what the Supreme Court did in Ayodhya, NRC and Kashmir matters,” he was heard saying in a viral video.

Harsh Mander had threatened, “The SC has failed to honour secularism, equality and humanity. We will try fighting there too, but, the decision will not happen in the Supreme court nor Parliament, it has to be made in the streets.”

At one point, he had even vowed to register himself as a Muslim if the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed. Harsh Mander had also sought the arrest of BJP leader Kapil Mishra.

It may be recalled Shaheen Bagh was masterminded by Sharjeel Imam, an Islamist who urged Indian Muslims to cut off North East India from the rest of the country.

In 2018, George Soros-funded NGO, Sherpa attempted to thwart India’s defence deal with France and stall the delivery of Rafale fighter jets.

Moreover, Open Society Foundations (OSF) run by the billionaire had funded the Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), which had been active in seeking the repeal of the sedition law currently used against anti-India elements.

In September 2019, George Soros also met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan shortly after US President Donald Trump attended Narendra Modi’s ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston, Texas.

George Soros had been unabashed in his attempt to fuel a dangerous anti-India narrative through media and ‘civil society. Organisations funded by him played a key role in creating chaos and unrest under the pretext of anti-farm law protests.

In 1999, the Open Society Foundation began activities in India by providing scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian colleges. Through the OSF, George Soros made significant contributions towards the spread of instability in India.

The Hungarian-American billionaire has also tried to use international institutions, which are funded by him, including Freedom House and  V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute to tarnish the image of India at a global level.

Coincidentally, Freedom Home is a ‘prime partner‘ of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Link between Freedom House and USAID

USAID and links with the Congress party

George Soros, who has worked with USAID to propagate its goals, is ‘friends’ with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. This becomes evident from the latter’s tweet in 2009.

The Congress leader had claimed, “Met old friend George Soros, upbeat abt India and curious about our neighbourhood.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shashi Tharoor

“He’s far more than an investor: a concerned world citizen,” Shashi Tharoor further added.

Gplus had previously reported about George Soros and his connection to Fori Gandhi, a close relative of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Sam Pitroda, the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress and a loyalist of Sonia Gandhi, had received funding for his NGO Global Knowledge Initiative (GKI) from USAID.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had met former administrator of the USAID, Samantha Power, during his trip to Uzbekistan in 2023.

He had also met Sunita Vishwanathan of Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), a controversial outfit with ties to George Soros and Islamist ‘Indian American Muslim Council’ (IAMC).

USAID, OCCRP and targeting of India’s financial markets

The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which published hit pieces on India and the Adani Group, recently came under the scanner.

French newspaper Mediapart, in an explosive report, revealed that  OCCRP, which poses as an independent, non-partisan organisation, is funded by USAID.

In May 2008, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project received $1.7 million from the US agency. Its founder Drew Sullivan did not land USAID funding out of thin air.

7 years prior to establishing OCCRP, he had visited Sarajevo to train Bosnian journalists as part of a programme funded by the US government agency.

Mediapart noted that OCCRP withholds/ conceals the extent of funding by the USAID and State Department from the public, media partners and journalists.

Screengrab of the report by OCCRP

In order to keep the illusion of its ‘independence and non-partisanship’ alive, it removed the phrase ‘OCCRP is made possible by’ and the logo of USAID from the homepage.

According to Mediapart, it is essential for all organisations to prominently acknowledge financial support from USAID. However, OCCRP has been allowed a ‘partial branding waiver’ that allows it to not follow the usual process of acknowledgement.

The US State Department and USAID exerts influence on the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project through its financing.

USAID can veto the appoinment of ‘key personnel’ in OCCRP. It also has a ‘cooperative agreement’ and a ‘substantial involvement clause’ with the NGO, which claims to be ‘independent.’

According to Mediapart, USAID uses OCCRP reports to trigger judicial probes and sanction procedures. OCCRP cannot investigate the US government and is directed to probe foreign governments hostile to American interests. These unfortunate countries include Russia, Venezuela, Malta and Cyprus.

In August 2023, Gplus had predicted that the OCCRP was planning a hitjob along the lines of now-defunct US-based short seller ‘Hindenburg Research’.

The ‘network of journalists’ published two hit pieces so far – one in August 2023 and another in May 2024 in the hopes of shaking the Indian financial markets

Links between USAID and USCIRF

Although the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the USAID are different entities, they have collaborated on different occasions.

A case in point was when Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to advance international religious freedom across the federal government. At that time, USCIRF and USAID collaborated to ensure implementation of the order.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has a notorious history of spreading canards about India and its internal affairs.

In its 2024 report, it cited the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and demanded the inclusion of India in the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) alongside Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

The rationale floated by USCIRF for such a drastic measure was alleged ‘systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations’ of religious freedom by the Indian government.

This is despite the fact that throughout its 96-page long report, the US federal government commission failed to provide a single instance of the incumbent Modi government’s direct involvement in any violation of religious freedom of any individual.

2024 USCIRF report on India, Page 30

Gplus found that USCIRF dedicated two pages of its report (Pages 30 and 31) to portray a falsified image of India to the rest of the world.

It lamented that India has been upfront in enforcing the humanitarian Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against domestic terrorists and the cracking down on foreign funding of dubious NGOs through the cancellation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licences, and preventing forced conversions and illegal cow slaughter in line with constitutional principles.

USCIRF then went on to make sweeping claims about the use of anti-conversion, anti-cow slaughter laws, UAPA and FCRA cancellation to arbitrarily detain, monitor and target ‘religious minorities’ and those advocating for them.

It came to the rescue of the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a think tank whose FCRA licence was cancelled for violating foreign funding norms. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs cited reports published by CPR on “current affairs programs” as one of the reasons for the cancellation.

2024 USCIRF report on India, Page 31

The US Federal Government Commission also defended NewsClick, even though it reportedly used funds received from China to procure weapons during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) violence in the National Capital. It also attempted to whitewash the sins of ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad.

USCIRF also sobbed over the detention of evangelists for the deceitful conversion of vulnerable and unsuspecting indigenous people (Adivasis) to Christianity. It also attempted to falsely impart a communal colour to the Kuki-Meitei ethnic clash in the Indian state of Manipur.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) threw its weight behind Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ‘journalist’ Sabrina Sidiqqui, infamous for her anti-India rants, and ended up exposing the hypocrisy of the White House.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom extended support to journalist turned-terror financer Irfan Mehraj and cried foul over the Supreme Court’s validation of the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

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