The BJP on Wednesday questioned links between the Congress and Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of harvesting personal information from Facebook illegally to influence polls in several countries, and wondered if it will now depend on "data theft" to woo voters. Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad cited media reports about the opposition party's plan to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi's profile. He asked Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. The firm, the Union minister said, has been accused of using "sex, sleaze and fake news" to influence elections and asked if the Congress too plans to walk the same path."The Congress must explain if it has engaged in data trade with Cambridge Analytica," he said, questioning the opposition party's "silence" despite numerous reports of its link with the company. The Congress, on the other hand, denied having links with Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of harvesting personal information from millions of Facebook users.Addressing a press conference, Congress media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “This is a new lie from BJP's factory of lies. Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad has dished out a new lie by using fake news as diversion tactics. Congress never engaged or hired services of Cambridge Analytica”.

The BJP on Wednesday questioned links between the Congress and Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of harvesting personal information from Facebook illegally to influence polls in several countries, and wondered if it will now depend on "data theft" to woo voters. Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad cited media reports about the opposition party's plan to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi's profile. He asked Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. The firm, the Union minister said, has been accused of using "sex, sleaze and fake news" to influence elections and asked if the Congress too plans to walk the same path."The Congress must explain if it has engaged in data trade with Cambridge Analytica," he said, questioning the opposition party's "silence" despite numerous reports of its link with the company. The Congress, on the other hand, denied having links with Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of harvesting personal information from millions of Facebook users.Addressing a press conference, Congress media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “This is a new lie from BJP's factory of lies. Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad has dished out a new lie by using fake news as diversion tactics. Congress never engaged or hired services of Cambridge Analytica”.