New Delhi:The Congress on Thursday cited international media reports to allege that an Israeli firm had influenced the electoral process in India and the ruling BJP was involved in the process. Congress media head Pawan Khera and Social Media head Supriya Shrinate cited the recent report in The Guardian newspaper to allege that this was not a one off incident but there was a pattern behind the BJP’s alleged use of such international firms to influence elections in the country.
“First Cambridge Analytica and then Pegasus - did the Modi Government use Israeli contract hackers to meddle in the Indian political system by spreading massive disinformation on digital media,” Khera and Shrinate asked.
“Is there a link between the fake news portal Post Card News and “Team Jorge” – a team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media? Just like “Pegasus” and “Cambridge Analytica' ' – a group of hackers by the code name of “Team Jorge” meddled in the Indian elections and political systems,” they said.
“Will the Modi Government investigate the latest scandal which has hit the Indian political spectrum involving, yet again foreign contractors indulging in sophisticated hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media,” they said. According to both Khera and Shrinate, fake news generated by the Israeli firm was allegedly amplified by the BJP’s IT cell and party leaders on social media with an eye to influencing the elections.
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“Pattern of disinformation and fake news campaigns being adopted by the Israelis is mirrored by the ruling BJP very distinctly. An innocuous little social media account puts out disinformation which is then amplified by the right-wing ecosystem including verified BJP office bearers, MPs, MLAs and ministers, this is then taken up by pliable media - who put out this information without caveats as the gospel truth. We see shrill TV debates and newspaper stories, a narrative is built, wild allegations made, lies are peddled as truth and this affects the common voter. But when these lies get called out - we don’t see this disinformation spreading ecosystem issuing clarifications - because the intention is to raise doubts, assassinate reputations and distract from real issues,” Shrinate said, detailing her charges.
The Congress leader further charged that the BJP had used Cambridge Analytica to influence the 2014 Lok Sabha elections through spreading misinformation and data theft on Social Media platforms. She also alleged the Modi Government bought Pegasus software which apart from Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and others, even snooped on BJP’s own ministers like Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prahlad Patel, as also aides of former BJP chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Smriti Irani.
“Is it not a fact that the Modi Government evaded direct answers even to the probe committee investigating the Pegasus spyware scandal in the Supreme Court? Is it not a fact that bureaucrats, Supreme Court judges, political strategists, EC and CBI officials were targeted through Pegasus software,” Shrinate said.
“Even though there is a Supreme Court-monitored Committee which submitted a Report in the Pegasus case, the then CJI categorically said that GOI did not cooperate in the probe. The probe committee report still remains “sealed,” she said.
The Congress leader further alleged that owner of fake news portal Post Card News – Mahesh Vikram Hegde was related to BJP’s ecosystem of extremists and to those who have been accused in the murder of activists Gauri Lankesh, MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Dr. Narendra Dabholkar.
