Rahul cites US media report, asks if Facebook is lying to India on Bajrang Dal

A day after Facebook India's head told a parliamentary panel that it had not found any content that necessitates a ban on the Bajrang Dal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday cited a US media report's claim that the social media giant's safety team had recommended a ban on the outfit and asked if Facebook was lying to India and its Parliament.

Also Read | Why Facebook is on the fence about banning Bajrang Dal

The social media giant's India head, Ajit Mohan, told a parliamentary panel on Wednesday, that Facebook's fact-checking team has not found any content that necessitates a ban on the Bajrang Dal, sources had said.

Mohan had deposed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The panel had called him on the issue of the citizens' data safety.

Tagging a Wall Street Journal report which claimed that Facebook's safety team had concluded that the Bajrang Dal should be banned from the platform, Gandhi tweeted, "Facebook US says Bajrang Dal content is offensive and should be banned. Facebook India tells our Parliamentary panel that Bajrang Dal content is not offensive."

"Is Facebook lying to India and its Parliament?" he said.