Congress: Data theft allegation is BJP's diversionary tactic

Rahul Gandhi being presented a yoke by members of Kambala Samiti during 'Janashirvada Yatra' at Padubidri. Pic/PTI

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Modi government had for years lied about the fate of 39 Indians killed in Iraq and was now diverting public attention from it by alleging that his party had links with a firm accused of misusing personal data of Facebook users.

"Problem: 39 Indians dead; Government on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress and data theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved," Gandhi said in a tweet. Gandhi's remarks came a day after Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Congress of compromising national security by roping in political data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica to run its 2019 election campaign.

The minister alleged that the firm had been found involved in data manipulation and warned that any attempt to misuse social media to influence India's electoral process would not be tolerated. Congress Communications Incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala also attacked the government, accusing it of deceiving the families of those dead in Iraq and the nation.

"Another lie, another spin exposed as truth unravels. All 39 Indians had died years ago as the evidence and witnesses suggested and corroborated now by Martyrs Foundation. Yet, Modi government lied, duped and deceived the families and the nation," Surjewala tweeted. He accused the government of not paying compensation to the families.

"Families ask questions - why did Modi government and Sushmaji mislead them for four years? Why does the government not reveal the date of death? What evidence did the EAM have of them being alive for all these years? Why is the government not agreeable to compensating the families?" he asked.