The complete package- 'A -Z' of election management services" included caste research, voter demographic data collection and analysis, behavioural polling, target audience analysis-campaign strategy
While Congress has so far "reiterated" that it did not have any association with discredited firm Cambridge Analytica, DNA has accessed two PowerPoint (PPT) presentations that its Indian arm, SCL India, made to Congress top brass in 2012 to offer "behavioural change communications methodology" and some services that could be tantamount to snooping on opponents.
In the presentation, SCL India claimed it had "local knowledge" and a "software for Political Intelligence and Election management" and access to "behavioural change communications methodology" in India. The complete package- 'A -Z' of election management services" included caste research, voter demographic data collection and analysis, behavioural polling, target audience analysis-campaign strategy.
It also offered an android-based mobile application for empowering party leaders at all levels, which could also "manage the election from candidate selection to poll management".
Under the 'Key Deliverables', the PPT slide referred to certain services that could be read as an attempt to snoop.
"Behavioural polling, monitoring of political activities, critical information collection and compliance, and target voter identification" are some such dubious deliverables which were proposed to the Congress party.
What nails Congress' association with Cambridge Analytica and SCL India is its presentation on Bihar. One of the slides, titled 'Findings-INC Bihar' said: "During the previous election, in Mr Rahul Gandhi's meeting, a big crowd gathered but Congress candidates have no road map to capitalise these crowds into their votebank due to lack of dedicated workers. INC has no mechanism to pull their voters and supporters up to the polling station due to lack of proper ground level structures. Candidates are producing Rahul Gandhi as a celebrity instead of a Leader."
SCL India's Bihar survey that was presented to the Congress leadership also said, under the same heading as above, "Mr Rahul Gandhi is the most popular leader, juts his name can motivate and enhance the willpower of Congress supporters."
One of the suggestions made at the end of the Bihar findings presentation said, "Promote and encourage real caste leaders and mass leaders from district level Congress persons."
Also, while Congress' social media head Divya Spandana "reiterated" in a tweet on March 27 that the "Congress party has never engaged with Cambridge Analytica, nationally or regionally", later she confirmed in an interview with a media outlet that CA had reached out to the party and that the Congress had been in conversation with them.
Meanwhile, Jamie J Bartlett tweeted a picture of Congress' election symbol – The Hand — which he had spotted in CA CEO Alexander Nix's office when he interviewed him. "Indian press picking up that Cambridge Analytica worked for the Congress Party — and it's causing a storm. Spotted hanging on the wall in Cambridge A's office when I was there recently with @BBCTwo..." Bartlett tweeted.
Meanwhile, Amrish Tyagi director of Ovleno Business Intelligence (OBI) distanced himself from CA. "Ovleno Business Intelligence (OBI) came into existence in January 2010 and Amrish Tyagi is one of the directors of the firm," the company statement said. "At the time of its incorporation, neither of its directors had undertaken any work of political nature. It is pertinent to mention that the firm only came into existence in January 2010 and therefore question of any work of any nature, including political, being undertaken before 2010 doesn't arise."
It has further clarified that OBI was never associated with Cambridge Analytica and therefore any work of any nature, if any, undertaken by Cambridge Analytica cannot be read against OBI.
The statement further adds: "However, we want to clarify our position that we met with various political parties for the purpose of political interaction, for the cause of promotion of the firm and to pitch our services. The political parties, namely BJP, Congress, never signed any digital project with us nor assigned any work during any elections so there is no point of any type of Facebook or any other social media data breach. Also, as claimed by the CA website, for 2010 Bihar elections, OBI or SCL UK/Cambridge Analytica never worked with JD(U) for any assignment."
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