New Delhi, March 27: Hitting out at Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for linking data mining firm Cambridge Analytica with the Congress, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asserted that all allegations leveled are false.  “Why is India's perpetually lying Law Minister throwing allegations in the media, he is in power why doesn't he show all proof and then register an FIR. We challenge you. They fear they will be exposed if they probe”, Surjewala was quoted by ANI.

Surjewala statement comes soon after Cambridge Analytica (CA) whistleblower Christopher Wylie revealed to the British lawmakers that his company worked extensively in India and that Congress may have been a client at the regional level.

Earlier this week, Surjewala had said that it was the BJP which hired the services of the controversial firm during Bihar and Gujarat elections. Reacting to Prasad's charge that the Congress planned to use the firm's services for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and boost Gandhi's profile, Surjewala said that the services of the London-based company have never been hired by his party or its chief Rahul Gandhi.

Cambridge Analytica is accused of illegally harvesting personal information from Facebook to influence polls in several countries. Earlier this week, Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Congress for its alleged ties with Cambridge Analytica. As per reports, the UK-based data mining firm has been in the eye of the storm for manipulating US presidential elections in 2016 and helping Donald Trump win the Presidential Elections in the US.

According to a report by PTI, Surjewala termed Prasad's remarks as yet another attempt at "spin strategy" and to divert the country's attention from other issues.  "BJP's factory of fake news has produced one more fake product today. It appears that fake press conferences, fake agendas and fake spins and fake statements have become the everyday character of BJP and its 'lawless' minister of law Ravi Shankar Prasad," he was quoted by PTI.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2018 09:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).