NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday opened a new front against Congress, alleging that the party has been in touch with the controversial data firm Cambridge Analytica (CA), and also warned social media giant Facebook against any attempt to influence India’s electoral process through “undesirable means”. Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress to explain its connection with CA, accused of attempting to manipulate elections from the US to Kenya.“It is a serious security threat for the country and Congress must answer on this,” Prasad said. Prasad also warned Facebook of tough action if it was found interfering in India’s poll process. “Mr Mark Zuckerberg , you better note the observation of the IT minister of India. We welcome FB profile in India, but if any data theft of Indians is done through collusion of FB system, it shall not be tolerated. We have got stringent powers in the IT Act, we shall use them, including summoning you to India,” Prasad warned.The controversy over CA accessing the profiles of millions of FB users and targeting them on the basis of information obtained, and claims by a senior official of the social media site that there were several illegalities, has sent FB’s stock plummeting. “My question to Congress is whether to win elections the party will depend on data manipulation and theft of data,” Prasad said."What is the role of Cambridge Analytica in the social media profile of Rahul Gandhi ?” IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked as the government looked to link the main opposition to the burgeoning controversy surrounding Cambridge Analytica. Quoting media reports, Prasad alleged that Cambridge Analytica — reported by a section of the media as being considered by Congress to help the 2019 campaign — has been accused of using bribes and sex workers to entrap politicians and steal data from Facebook.Her asked how much data was provided by Cambridge Analytica in the recent Gujarat and north-east elections, and in upcoming elections in Karnataka to Congress. Amid a probe by the US privacy watchdog and in UK over a potential breach of user confidentiality by Facebook, Prasad said the Indian government fully supports free exchange of ideas on social media but any attempt by social media sites, including Facebook, to influence India’s electoral process will not be tolerated.“If need be, stringent action will be taken,” Prasad said. Stating that 20 crore Indians were using Facebook, making it the company’s largest market outside the US, Prasad cautioned the social media giant and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg of repercussions under the IT Act in case of any data breach.Asked if the government would initiate a probe on data use by Facebook, Prasad said that India had a regulator in the form of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and specific complaints, if any, will be brought under a structured investigation. “We have got a very robust mechanism available, we will look into it. But today, (through) this very stern observation I gave, let my warning be heard across the Atlantic in California,” he said.BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters that the illegal use of people’s data from social media could turn out to be the Congress’ “biggest scam” and added that the government would launch a probe into the matter.