Congress president Rahul Gandhi appears to be in no mood to back down from the ‘App war’ going on between his party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

What began with the Cambridge Analytica revelations has now escalated into a full-blown battle between the Narendra Modi government and the main opposition party with accusations flying thick in both directions.

Minutes after Union Information & Technology Minister Smriti Irani posted a series of tweets taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president accused Modi of “misusing” his position as the Prime Minister of India to collect data of Indians through the NaMo App.

“Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt,” he tweeted.

“If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it,” Gandhi wrote, adding, “This data belongs to India, not Modi.”

Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt.

If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it.

This data belongs to India, not Modi.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 26, 2018

Gandhi’s retort comes after Irani compared him to Chhota Bheem and said even the popular children’s cartoon character knows that commonly asked permissions on apps don’t tantamount to snooping.

“@RahulGandhi ji, even ‘Chhota Bheem’ knows that commonly asked permission on Apps don’t tantamount to snooping,” she wrote on Twitter.

.@RahulGandhi ji, even ‘Chhota Bheem’ knows that commonly asked permission on Apps don’t tantamount to snooping.

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) March 26, 2018

On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had attached a report by Janta Ka Reporter in a tweet in which he accused PM Modi of data theft claiming that the NaMo app is sharing data with “American companies”.

The Congress president said in his tweet on Sunday, “Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India’s Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies.”

“P.S. Thanks mainstream media, you’re doing a great job of burying this critical story, as always, Gandhi added,” he added in an apparent jibe at the media.

His allegation came after a France-based hacker Elliot Alderson said claimed the NaMo app compromised the personal data of millions of Indians who had downloaded the app on their mobile.

When you create a profile in the official @narendramodi #Android app, all your device info (OS, network type, Carrier …) and personal data (email, photo, gender, name, …) are send without your consent to a third-party domain called https://t.co/N3zA3QeNZO. pic.twitter.com/Vey3OP6hcf

— Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) March 23, 2018

On Monday morning, Amit Malviya, head of the Information Technology (IT) cell of the BJP, accused the Congress of leaking details of users to Maoists, stone-pelters and even the Chinese.

“Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India’s oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore,” tweeted Malviya along with a screenshot of the Congress party app which shows its headquarters in Singapore.

In another screenshot, Malviya highlighted how the Congress had under its privacy policy, mentioned that it may share user data with organisations, consultants for making the use of website effective.

“Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they’ll give your data to **practically anyone** – undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even ‘groups with similar causes’. In theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet!” he said.

“When Congress says they will share your data with like-minded groups, the implications are grave. From Maoists, stone pelters, Bharat Ke Tukde Gang, Chinese embassy to globally ‘renowned’ orgs like Cambridge Analytica, the field is extensive and wide open,” Malviya added.

Surprisingly, the Indian National Congress (INC) app was deleted from Google playstore after the BJP levelled the allegations.

The BJP again attacked the Congress over the deletion of the app.

Ye kya @RahulGandhi ji it seems your team is doing the opposite of what you asked for. Instead of #DeleteNaMoApp, they have deleted the Congress App itself 😂 pic.twitter.com/NrbMxz57gs

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) March 26, 2018

Rahul Gandhi gave a call to #DeleteNaMoApp, but Congress deleted its own App from the App store after they were called out. What is the Congress party hiding? pic.twitter.com/nAJTDAMmoc

— Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) March 26, 2018

Before accusing Modi of misusing his position as Prime Minister of India, Gandhi had called him the “Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians”.

Read More: PM Modi is the ‘Big Boss’ who likes to spy on Indians: Rahul Gandhi

“Modi’s NaMo App secretly records audio, video, contacts of your friends & family and even tracks your location via GPS. He’s the Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians.  Now he wants data on our children. 13 lakh NCC cadets are being forced to download the APP. #DeleteNaMoApp,” he wrote early on Monday.