Both, US and China used devious means to force a tilt, influence outcomes of recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Bharat
Vinod Kumar Shukla
Cognitive warfare is the new tool deployed by a few global powers to ensure their continued dominance on others throwing ethics and internationally accepted practices to wind.
These powers have attempted suppression of fair practices in election of a government especially in countries where there is a vibrant democracy. Among others, India too faced challenges where democratic process was allegedly tried to be influenced by creating false narratives with help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Media influencers. Most of these falsehoods were not only funded by foreign countries but ideas too were generated on foreign soil.
Investigations revealed that STOIC, an Israeli company attempted to interfere in Lok Sabha elections by peddling anti-BJP agenda dubbed as ‘Zero Zeno.’ Efforts were made to manipulate public opinion even in Canada, US, Israel, and Ghana. With help of AI, web articles and social media, comments and content were generated and pushed across Instagram, Facebook, and X focusing on criticizing the BJP and praising the Congress.
AI was used to create fictional characters and fake social media accounts with specific variables like age, gender and location. Bogus accounts were created to engage people with such posts that gave the impression of genuine audience interaction.
China too was actively involved in this disinformation campaign and escalated its campaign for changing the government in India after People’s Liberation Army was humiliated both in Doklam and Galwan Valley. Artificial intelligence was craftily used to construct propaganda content, images and videos targeting parties and politicians opposed to Chinese hegemonic design. Microsoft had cautioned that China was poised to use generative AI to sway elections all across scheduled for this year.
Chinese interference is deeply rooted in its expansive ‘influence operations’ (IO) targeting leaders of other countries with its disinformation campaign to undermine leaders by portraying them as weak and vulnerable. Spamouflage Dragon or Dragon Bridge or Storm 1376, a key Chinese disinformation propagator network has been functioning since 2017-18 on social media. Its activities came to notice when around 9,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to this network were shut down by Meta in August 2023.
In November 2023, approximately 4,800 fake Chinese social media accounts impersonating Americans were shut down for disseminating narratives designed to polarise public opinion through biased political content ahead of US elections. The same was done in Australia and the Philippines during 2022 elections.
Beyond social media, Chinese IO strategies include both overt and covert tactics involving cultivation of assets like local and independent media, influential personalities, political parties, business figures and NGOs. Preference for particular candidates was subtly communicated not through direct diplomatic utterances but via Chinese state-affiliated media and United Front Work Department (UFWD) which is dedicated to exerting overseas influence. On the parallel, investigation on Chinese funding of NewsClick in Bharat is underway and the matter being heard in the court.
Chinese objective of meddling in elections is to ensure that elected candidates or parties should adopt a pro-China stance. These disinformation campaigns aim to sway election outcomes by undermining voters’ confidence in candidates not favoured by China. Recent escalation in Chinese disinformation involves leveraging generative AI technology to prepare propaganda images and videos.
These AI-generated materials target parties and politicians critical to China. Initially this technology was used during presidential elections of Taiwan to undermine Taiwan’s democratic framework, promoting a pro-unification narrative, and weakening Taiwan’s ties with the US. In fact, Chinese disinformation campaigns on the national security of various countries have prompted many to ban popular Chinese social media platform TikTok. But, reports indicate that China continues to meddle in foreign elections to emerge as a global power.
Besides China and Israel, millions of dollars were spent to impact elections in India. Western interference from European Union and US too were in the game. Media outlets with tacit, explicit funding and a few funded by organizations with background in peddling agenda based narratives through stories on ‘random WhatsApp groups’ by creating heroes out of Pak-sponsored stooges. Recent elections in India witnessed the most intrusive foreign reporting with overwhelming negative and brazen reports about ruling dispensation. All this was done to have a Parliament with leaders who can help impose political agenda of countries which are instrumental in spreading these canards. The objective is to secure a favourable outcome aligning with its strategic interests.
Western media was found indulging in mud-slinging to sully the image of select leaders and their party in a sinister attempt to impact voter’s minds. Dangerous narratives were peddled by a so-called Indologist Christophe Jaffrelot as the ‘caste census’ narrative allegedly came from France. Jaffrelot extensively writes on India. The French media had shown special interest in these elections with extensive reporting by Le Monde, Le Soir, France 24, La Croix (International), Le Temps, Reporterre, and Radio France Internationale (RFI) to shape up a particular narrative to impact Indian elections with Jaffrelot as an expert on almost everything in India.
With the help of Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TCPD) at Ashoka University, Jaffrelot and his disciple Gilles Verniers aggressively peddled a narrative that ‘lower castes’ had lesser representation in politics, quoting profile of MPs in 2014 Lok Sabha. However, the expert duo immediately changed their stand when the 2019 Lok Sabha had a higher representation from lower castes. In fact, never before was he referred by so many outlets in such a short time. He wrote a paper on ‘need of caste census’, in September 2021.
US and China attempted to play dirty in just concluded elections with startling discourse being Caste Census which certainly was not organic. Jaffrelot had allegedly received massive funding from the US-based ‘philanthropic’ organization Henry Luce Foundation (HLF) around the same time. HLF was founded by Henry Luce, the founder of TIME magazine. Lesser known fact about Luce is his alleged deep-state connections. He was born to Presbyterian Christian Missionaries and supported by another Presbyterian – Nancy McCormicks. Luce was also part of CIA’s project ‘Mocking Bird’ which used ‘Media and Journalists’ for its covert operations. Luce provided cover for CIA operatives under TIME’s banner. HLF is staffed with former US government officials including former Dy Secretary of Defence. HLF works closely with Asia Foundation, CFR and CSIS.
It was reported that funds given to Jaffrelot were part of a project called ‘Muslims in a Time of Hindu Majoritarianism’ and $3.85 lakh was allocated to the project. Such blatant propaganda couldn’t be used against any other country. But somehow, everything is lawful and possible in Bharat! So much so that the Congress used this ‘Majoritarianism’ narrative implying ‘Hindu’ in its 2024 election manifesto.
YouTube played a dirty role in India where the reach of all Youtuber involved in anti-BJP propaganda was magnified manifold while reach of others was drastically restricted. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate addressed a press conference in which she boasted about social media responses for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress vis e vis the BJP and the PM. Election results clearly indicate it to be the job of AI with election outcomes. Microsoft said the YoutTube news anchors were created by the CapCut tool which is developed by Chinese company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok.
This is to recall that the Congress and Communist Party of China (CPC) in August 2008 signed a deal soon after the then party president Sonia Gandhi reached Beijing with her family for the Olympics inaugural ceremony. The MoU was signed by the then Chinese vice-president and standing committee member of the CPC’s politburo, Xi Jinping, and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in the presence of Sonia Gandhi. Despite all provocations, the Congress did not divulge the details of the pact so far. What is there to hide if two political parties enter into some kind of collaboration?
Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has drawn global attention for its interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, especially in electoral processes. Beijing’s extensive manoeuvres are continually challenging the sovereignty and national interests of other countries. For nations having adversarial relations with Beijing, it was more predominant given the latter’s aggressive neo-imperialist policy and territorial ambitions.
The dictator jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a social media influencer based in Germany, role of Al Jazeera in whipping up sentiment of Indian Muslims against the Modi government and role of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF) to name a few who tried hard to influence Indian voters and at least two instances can suggest that they influenced voters’ mind.
CAA, NRC, population control and UCC were propagated in such a way that Muslim voters voted tactfully to defeat BJP as ‘never before. Disinformation campaign that Indian Constitution would be changed if BJP was voted to power played its role. A big section of voters from scheduled castes and most backward classes fell for this false narrative and moved away from the BJP.
There is a long list of disinformation campaigns but these two pointed to dangers of serious attempts made at de-balancing vibrancy in Bharat’s democracy.
(Author is a senior journalist and contributor to Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies, non-partisan think tank based in New Delhi)
CIHS - Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies 