Cambridge Analytica-Facebook row: BJP has nothing to hide says Sambit Patra

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday.

Sambit Patra said "BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP".

Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users.

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi's profile.

He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach.

Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations.

Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,".

Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).

The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.