New Delhi : The Congress Party has brushed aside the allegation by BJP party Minister Ravi Shankar of dealing with Cambridge Analytica. “ The Congress has had no truck with Cambridge Analytica” party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asserted on Tuesday and instead accused Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad of lying to divert the focus after he cited a whistleblower’s deposition to claim that the controversial data firm had worked for the opposition party.
Mr Surjewala referred to the statement by an Indian citizen, who a partner in OBI which is an Indian arm of UK based Cambridge Analytica. According to the statement the controversial firm hired by an NRI with the help of undisclosed funds tried to fail the Congress government. Surjewala questioned Mr Prasad of whether did he believed more in a statement issued by an Indian citizen or in a foreigner.
Surjewala further asked the law minister to answer the questions posed by him and challenged him to lodge a case against Facebook, OBI and Cambridge Analytica to recover the truth.
Christopher Wylie, who is a former employee of Cambridge Analytica turned whistleblower, deposed deposed before the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee or DCMS in London Tuesday and informed that the company had worked extensively in India peninsula and believed it was employed by the Congress party.
“The Congress has had no truck with Cambridge Analytica ever or have we ever hired its services. But BJP needs to answer, who was this NRI business person who hired Cambridge Analytica in the run-up to 2014 polls to manufacture false surveys, to ask leading questions and to bring down the Congress Government?” he asked.
Mr Surjewala said the law minister and the Modi Government refuse to answer these questions and “they only want to divert the agenda”.
The Congress leader said they had given a challenge for them to lodge an FIR against Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, OBI – their partner firm in India, but asked, “Why has the Law Minister not done so. Why is he perpetually lying”.
“Lies, lies and lies is the only way forward for the Modi Government,” he alleged, saying there is a ‘No Confidence Motion’ pending consideration, which the Modi government is trying hard to avoid.
It is ridiculous to even assume that a company that was being used by an NRI businessman using undisclosed funds to bring down and spread canards against the Congress-UPA led government at the Centre in 2014, would be used by the Congress party, he said.
Mr Surjewala pointed out that Mr Prasad did not deny when a categorical question was asked whether or not he knows specifically that an NRI business person was used to hatch a conspiracy against the Congress in 2014 elections and he did not deny.
He asserted in an allegation leveled against Mr Prasad that the privacy is being infringed on a daily basis and the law minister continues to lie.
“We want to show him the mirror of truth and ask him that the same whistleblower that he continues to quote, who does not know whether or not a political party used Cambridge Analytica,” he said.
The BJP party had on Tuesday cited a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower’s deposition to make a claim that the controversial data firm had worked for the Congress party and demanded an apology from its president Rahul Gandhi, saying he is now “exposed”.
“The whistle-blower has publicly confirmed that the Congress was indeed their client. Rahul Gandhi had been trying to divert attention. Today, he stands exposed. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi must apologize to the nation,” Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
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