Congress has asked the BJP whether it would register an FIR against Cambridge Analytica and its Indian arm Ovleno Business Intelligence
Cambridge Analytica scandal, data mining, and Facebook data breach -- as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Congress political slugfest over who has links with the controversial data consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) escalates, these terms have come to replace the usual cudgels of 'scam', 'corruption' and 'anti-national' that political parties beat each other with. The BJP claims that the firm has been involved in Congress President Rahul Gandhi's social media campaign, while the Congress is asking if the government will lodge an FIR against the company and its India partner Oveleno Business Intelligence (OBI).
Both the Indian National Congress and the BJP are accusing each other of having availed of the services of the controversial firm accused of stealing data and influencing elections. The Congress stepped up its attack on the BJP, alleging that the party hired the company's services in various state Assembly elections -- Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Delhi -- besides for its 'Mission 272 plus' in the 2014 general elections. The BJP has alleged that Cambridge Analytica's footprints were visible in the Congress' campaign in last year's Gujarat Assembly elections.
BJP leader and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who created a political firestorm on Wednesday with the allegations that the Congress was employing the services of the London-based political data analytics firm, fired fresh salvos claiming that the firm was involved in Rahul Gandhi's social media campaign. Prasad added that there had been meetings, too, in this regard.
Congress spokesperson in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala termed Prasad as a "minister of lies". Surjewala asked the BJP that if "Cambridge Analytica was involved in stealing data, then why did it take its services".
Here are the top 10 developments in the BJP-Congress political slugfest around the Cambridge Analytica scandal and data mining:
1) Cambridge Analytica behind Rahul Gandhi's 'Gabbar Singh Tax' jibe: With both parties trading blows over who used data mining and Facebook data in elections, the BJP stepped up its attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, saying that Cambridge Analytica's "footprints" were visible in the Opposition party's campaign in Gujarat. Further, the BJP suggested that Cambridge Analytica had a role in the Congress chief's use of the term "Gabbar Singh Tax".
Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that the data analytics firm was known for its "aggressive and fake news" campaign. Prasad suggested that it had a role in Gandhi's social media campaign and the Congress' "poisonous" electioneering in Gujarat.
2) 'Will BJP file FIR against Cambridge Analytica?': Congress has asked the BJP why it avail of the company's services if Cambridge Analytica was involved in stealing data. Further, the Congress asked the BJP whether it would register an FIR against Cambridge Analytica and its Indian arm Ovleno Business Intelligence (OBI).
3) Smriti Irani, BJP's ex-IT head follow Cambridge Analtytica: Congress also said that Minister of Information & Broadcasting Smriti Irani followed Cambridge Analtytica on Twitter and BJP's former IT head Arvind Gupta -- who currently runs the government's biggest portal (mygov.in) -- had described Cambridge Analtytica as a "powerful tool".
"BJP government has now become a manufacturer of fake news and an epitome of post-truth. The business alliance between BJP-JD(U) and Cambridge Analytics has now been exposed," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
Read Claude Smadja's column for Business Standard on the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal: Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal: Power to them who control data
4) Take action instead of holding press conferences, Congress tells BJP: Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had some advice for the BJP. He said that instead of holding press conferences, the ruling party should take action over its allegation that the Opposition party is indulging in data theft to influence elections in India.
Alleging that the BJP has dished out fake news for long, Singhvi said that the spread of false information has been its forte.
"BJP is the party in power. Rather than holding press conferences, why doesn't it take action?" he said about Union Law and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's charge that the Opposition party was using data manipulation and theft to woo voters.
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