KC Tyagi's son denies links with Cambridge Analytica

Ovleno Business Intelligence (OBI) director Amrish Tyagi on Thursday denied any links with Cambridge Analytica (CA), stating that his firm was never associated with the UK-based data consultancy.

Amrish is the son of senior Janata Dal (United) leader K C Tyagi.

Amrish's statement comes a day after his father rejected the allegations against his party's links to SCL India (formerly Strategic Communication Laboratories, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica).

"OBI was never associated with Cambridge Analytica (CA). Any work of any nature, if any, undertaken by CA cannot be read against OBI. We would like to make it clear that OBI was never associated with CA," Amrish said in a statement.

"At the time of its incorporation neither of its directors had undertaken any work of political nature," the statement added.

The whistleblower Christopher Wylie yesterday tweeted details that claim to expose the British consultancy's work in India dating back to 2003.

Wylie claimed that SCL India was asked to provide electoral research and strategy for the 2010 Bihar elections for the JD(U).

The whistleblower while testifying before the UK Parliament earlier in the week said Congress was a client of the firm and that SCL/CA works in India and has offices there. "This is what modern colonialism looks like."

Tweeting several pictures along with the post, Wylie said SCL India has a database of over 600 districts and seven lakh villages, and the data is constantly being updated.

Wylie revealed the firm also worked on psephological studies and opinion pollings for a national party in 2003 Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan elections.

Tuesday's revelations have already initiated a blame game between the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party, with the BJP demanding an apology from the grand old party and the Congress hit back by denying the allegations and asking Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to initiate a probe into the matter as it would only expose the ruling party.