New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the BJP has a hold over WhatsApp and said the platform now needs the approval of the Central government to launch its payment services in India.
“America’s Time magazine exposes WhatsApp-BJP nexus: Used by 40 Cr Indians, WhatsApp also wants to be used for making payments for which Modi Govt’s approval is needed. Thus, BJP has a hold over WhatsApp,” Gandhi tweeted while citing a media report.
WhatsApp is owned by Facebook Inc.
Earlier on August 16, the former Congress chief had alleged that the BJP and the RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in the country.
He also alleged that they spread fake news and hatred through these social media platforms to influence the electorate.
“BJP & RSS control Facebook & Whatsapp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate. Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook,” he tweeted earlier citing a media report.
BJP & RSS control Facebook & Whatsapp in India.
They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate.
Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook. pic.twitter.com/Y29uCQjSRP
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 16, 2020
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also raised the issue. “The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology would certainly wish to hear from @Facebook about these reports & what they propose to do about hate-speech in India,” his tweet read.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who heads the communications department, was quick to retaliate with the three-year-old Cambridge Analytica issue.
Losers who cannot influence people even in their own party keep cribbing that the entire world is controlled by BJP & RSS.
You were caught red-handed in alliance with Cambridge Analytica & Facebook to weaponise data before the elections & now have the gall to question us? https://t.co/NloUF2WZVY
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) August 16, 2020
