Did BJP use Israeli hackers' network to interfere in elections? asks Cong

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused the Modi govt of joining hands with the Israeli Team Jorge and said it directly impacts the election process

A day after an investigative report claimed that a team of Israeli contractors had interfered with more than 30 elections around the world, including India, the Congress on Thursday launched an attack at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government and demanded a probe into the matter.

Earlier on Wednesday, a report released by a consortium of international journalists claimed that a team of Israeli contractors had interfered with more than 30 elections around the world, including India, by using means such as hacking, sabotage, and automated disinformation online.

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused the Modi government of joining hands with the Israeli "Team Jorge" and said it directly impacts the election process in the country.

Supriya Shrinate said that the Israeli team is responsible for spreading fake news and disinformation on widely used platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and Gmail.

She also alleged that the BJP's IT cell has mirrored the modus operandi of the "Jorge Team."

"This impacts India's electorate process directly and there should be a probe," Shrinate said.

"This isn't the first time that allegations of data theft have been made against the Modi government. One of the serious charges this government faces is data theft and manipulation to tamper with the electoral process," the Congress leader said.

"This government is known to play with big data to their advantage," Shrinate added.

She also accused PM Modi of having more than 60 per cent fake followers on social media platforms and claimed over 18,000 fake accounts on Twitter still amplify fabricated information for the BJP.