Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said the BJP’s “lying factory” was at work again, stymieing a media story on Cambridge Analytica allegedly being paid to sabotage the Congress by spinning “fake news” of the party working with the data firm instead.
Picking up from where he left off yesterday, Gandhi today again accused the BJP of making the real news “vanish” by accusing the Congress of working with the controversial firm charged with stealing data from Facebook.

BJP lying factory at work: Journalist set to break big story on how Cambridge Analytica (CA) was paid to infiltrate and sabotage the Congress in 2012. BJP rushes Cabinet Minister to lie and spin fake news: Congress worked with CA! Real story vanishes, Gandhi said on Twitter.

He also tagged a media report headlined, ” ‘Whistleblower’ Reveals Cambridge Analytica’s India Link”. The Congress and the BJP are engaged in a slinging match with each accusing the other of using the services of the controversial data analytics firm in previous elections.
Yesterday, Gandhi alleged that the government was managing headlines to deflect attention from issues such as the death of 39 Indians in captivity in Iraq and said the government was baiting the media. “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 had tweeted.

As Parliament remained paralyzed for the 14th consecutive day, the government on Thursday decided to reach out to the opposition parties to ensure smooth functioning so that the pending bills get passed in both the Houses.

New Delhi: A View of Parliament house during the ongoing Winter Session in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI12_9_2015_000201B)

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel, who has been assigned the task to talking to opposition leaders, met Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad for a brief discussion. He will again meet him to discuss the issues in detail.

The Minister said he would also meet leaders of the TDP, AIADMK, TRS and other parties.

Ever since the second phase of Parliament’s Budget session began on March 5, disruptions have crippled both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on a number of issues including demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh, Punjab National Bank fraud case and setting up of Cauvery Management Board.

The Congress, the Trinamool and some other opposition parties have been protesting against the banking fraud blamed on absconding jeweller Nirav Modi and his associates, while the TDP and the YSR Congress have been demonstrating for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

The AIADMK wants a board for the management of the disputed Cauvery river water. The TRS is demanding an increase in the reservation quota for jobs in Telangana.

“Only nine working days are left now after 14 wasted days. I request the opposition parties to ensure passage of important bills in both Houses. I am hopeful the opposition will cooperate,” Goel said.

“The government is in regular touch with the opposition leaders and I will meet them personally to ensure the smooth functioning of the Parliament,” he told reporters.

The Minister said the government was ready to discuss each and every issue concerning the political parties including no-confidence motion against the government.

“In fact the opposition is running away from discussion. We are ready to discuss even the no-confidence motion. We have adequate numbers in the House.”

Earlier, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu met the leaders of different parties in his chamber and sought their support to get The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill passed.

The Bill was passed by the Upper House before being adjourned for the day, however, without discussion and despite order in the House.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned for the day, amid protests as opposition members trooped near the Speaker’s podium, raising slogans and displaying placards.

(IANS)

Delhi Police on Thursday gave permission to social activist Anna Hazare to start a protest campaign at Ramlila Maidan here from Friday, police said.

“We have granted permission after checking all security aspects and making adequate arrangements,” said a police officer.

Hazare and his supporters will first visit Rajghat from Maharastra Sadan to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

He will also visit Shahidi Park to pay tribute to martyrs and then proceed to Ramlila Maidan where he held a massive protest and hunger strike against corruption in 2011.

Hazare has said that farm issues would be among those taken up during the current agitation.

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.

PTI

Amid allegations of misuse of personal data for political purposes by social media giant Facebook, the BJP on Wednesday hit out at Congress accusing it of compromising national security by reportedly roping in political data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) to run its 2019 election campaign.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that CA 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 and the government would take necessary legal action.

“Any covert or overt attempt to misuse social media including Facebook to influence India’s electoral process through undesirable means will neither be tolerated, nor permitted,” Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference.

He said that CA — the agency which hired by the Congress to run its 2019 campaign — is accused of using bribes, sex workers to entrap politicians and stealing data from Facebook.

“Abuse of social media including Facebook cannot be allowed to impact the fairness of elections. In the wake of recent data theft from Facebook, let my stern warning be heard across the Atlantic, far away in California,” the senior BJP leader said.

Accusing Congress of depending upon data manipulation and theft to win votes, Prasad
also asked the Congress whether it depends on data theft, and found manipulation ability the sole criteria to hire CA.

“These days, there is lot of news about CA and how it has been involved in data theft, psychometric analysis, data manipulation and subversion of democratic processes. Can the Congress deny that,” he asked.

Citing media reports, the BJP leader also asked the Congress to clarify whether now-sacked CA CEO Alexender Nix has met several opposition leaders to design the the UPA’s electoral strategy for the next Lok Sabha elections.

“How many times did Rahul Gandhi and Nix meet and what did they discuss? What is the CA’s role in Rahul Gandhi’s social media presence,” he asked.

“It is a matter of grave concern for crores of online users in India that online data and browsing patterns are being used for such means. I want to specifically warn the Congress that the nation will not tolerate any kind of data theft or manipulation in India,” he said.

The Minister also sought to know from the “Grand Old Party” as to how much stolen data from CA was in posession of the Congress and how much data of Indian users had been handed over to the firm by the party.

Alleging that CA had been found using illegal means of data manipulation to subvert the democratic process in Kenya, Prasad said that the Congress had been aligning with such forces to divide the society to win elections.

“We have seen this in Gujarat. We are seeing what they are doing in Karnataka,” he said.

Prasad said the government was in touch with the US Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice to assess the privacy violations of Indian users.

“We will also summon the company and Facebook to assess the data theft of Indian users and will take strictest action,” he warned.

(IANS)

The move of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to recast the surrender policy for Pakistan-backed terrorists and dole out a sum of Rs 6 lakh to each one of them at the time of surrender has been blocked by the BJP, a coalition partner in the PDP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir. The amount of Rs 6 lakh proposed for surrendered terrorists was Rs 1 lakh more than the amount of Rs 5 lakh being given as relief to kin of those killed by terrorists or in shelling by Pakistan Army.
The proposal to recast the existing surrender policy was piloted by Mehbooba in a meeting of the state cabinet held here on Tuesday evening. However, sensing further erosion of its political base in the Jammu division if the proposal was allowed to be passed, BJP ministers in the cabinet put their foot down and did not let Mehbooba have her way on the contentious issue.

Mehbooba had in the new policy proposed a substantial jump of Rs 4.5 lakh over the policy of 2004 in which the amount was Rs 1.5 lakh. The financial benefits for terrorists were withdrawn in the surrender policy recast in 2010 when the National Conference-Congress coalition government headed by Omar Abdullah was in power.
Mehbooba not only proposed to enhance the one time financial bonanza, but also substantially increase the incentives for the weapons laid down by terrorists during the surrender. The incentive for surrendering a sniper rifle was Rs 25,000 in the policy of 2004, which has been proposed to be increased to Rs 1 lakh. The incentive for AK-rifle has been proposed to be enhanced to Rs 50,000 from the earlier Rs 15,000.
The current strategy of terrorists has been to snatch rifles from state police personnel and use them for targeting the security forces. The surrender policy announced in 2004 created a countrywide controversy when it was alleged that the state government was providing undue financial benefits to terrorists instead of assisting the unemployed youth.
Observers feel the PDP, which was facing political crisis in the Kashmir valley, has in a way tried to thrown open the coffers to please those engaged in terrorism. It was proposed to hike the incentive for each surrendered bullet to Rs 100 from the earlier amount of Rs 3 per bullet.
The incentive for each surrendered landmine was proposed to be increased to Rs 20,000 from the earlier Rs 3,000. Similarly, the terrorists would get a sum of Rs 10,000 for each surrendered Improvised Explosive Device (IED) against the earlier Rs 1,000.
Mehbooba had reportedly proposed that the cash incentive of Rs 6 lakh would be kept in the bank as fixed deposit for 10 years and the surrendered terrorist would get a monthly interest of Rs 4,000 or so till maturity of the FD that could be encashed if the CID declared his good conduct. Besides, several other incentives, including skill training, were also proposed for surrendered terrorists.
The surrender policy of 2010 had withdrawn all special incentives but offered that those who had gone to POK or Pakistan between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2009, and their dependents who had a change of heart and were willing to return would be eligible for resettlement under the policy.

(IANS)