Foreign intelligence agencies and changes in X’s location of user accounts pushed the Congress–BJP clash into a new territory.

On one side was former Congress MP Kumar Ketkar alleging that the CIA and Mossad shaped the 2014 Lok Sabha outcome, and on the other was the BJP accusing the Congress of allegedly running a digital network from abroad that was exposed by changes in X’s location feature introduced recently.

At a news conference in Delhi, BJP MP Sambit Patra held screenshots that he claimed proved Congress-linked accounts were operating from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore and the US to push an anti-India narrative.

A new feature on X identifies the actual location of the users. Many users on X give a location other than their actual one for security issues or to access accounts that are banned in their own country. Clicking on the date of joining of the user, the actual location can be identified.

Patra said Pawan Khera’s account showed up as “based in the United States,” the Maharashtra Congress handle appeared “based in Ireland” when created, and the Himachal Pradesh Congress account was “connected via the Thailand Android app.”

Once the feature went live, he said, many of these accounts abruptly shifted their displayed location to India or hid it.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the BJP was treating a routine platform update as evidence of a conspiracy.

“It’s sheer foolishness, these people are so ignorant that they probably read nothing beyond their own 'farzi' tweets. Recently, X launched a new feature that shows the location of an account. Following this, a BJP leader held a press conference and claimed that Congress supporters’ accounts are being run from abroad, alleging a conspiracy against the country," Shrinate said.

"Don’t create issues out of stupidity to divert attention. Regarding Pawan Khera’s account, he himself stated that he uses a VPN. The BJP doesn’t even have a fraction of common sense left,” she added.

"Questions are being raised on social media on digital platforms, and this is the BJP's attempt to discredit all those questions. The reality is that the BJP has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar. The BJP is the chief architect of a large voter scam," she alleged.

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress leader Ketkar claimed the foreign intelligence agencies were involved in the 2014 Lok Sabha outcome.

He said the Congress’ slide from 206 seats in 2009 to 44 in 2014 was not a normal electoral swing. “The party won 145 seats in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and 206 in the general election five years later. Had this trend continued, the Congress could have won 250 seats and retained power convincingly,” he said.

“It was then that the game started. It was decided that under no circumstances, the seat tally of the Congress should increase from 206 in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls,” Ketkar said.

Ketkar said foreign agencies believed Congress had to be defeated for “games” to be played in India.

He named the two agencies directly: “One of the organisations was the CIA and another was the Mossad of Israel. Both had decided that they had to do something in India. If a stable Congress government or a Congress-led alliance government came back to power again, they would not have been able to interfere in India and implement their policies.”

He added, “The Mossad prepared detailed data on states and constituencies. The CIA and the Mossad have detailed data on states and constituencies.”

BJP rejected the charge on Thursday. MoS finance Pankaj Chaudhary asked, “If I say that foreign agencies were trying to remove Modiji in the 2024 election.” Shiv Sena’s Shaina NC called Ketkar’s comments “a sign of absolute loss of mind and mental stability.”

Politics aside, allegations of foreign intervention in Indian politics is not new.

The Mitrokhin papers described KGB funding networks involving Congress leaders and extensive operations in India, including planted stories during the Emergency.

Former US diplomats have spoken of CIA support for Congress candidates in Kerala and funding of magazines such as Imprint and Quest during anti-communist campaigns.

Retired KGB general Oleg Kalugin once said India was fertile terrain for influence contests between Moscow and Washington.

These archives reappear in political battles, most recently when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey cited Mitrokhin to claim that 150 Congress MPs had links to KGB funding.