Meta India has apologized for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s remark suggesting that the current Indian government lost the 2024 elections due to its management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meta India’s Vice President, Shivnath Thukral, stated in a post on X on Tuesday, January 14, that while Mark’s comment about many incumbent parties not being re-elected in the 2024 elections is accurate for several countries, it does not apply to India. He added, “We apologize for this unintentional mistake.”
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Thukral also emphasized that India is a highly significant country for the American tech giant, adding, “We are excited to be a part of its innovative future.”
Leaders Demand Meta Apology Over Zuckerberg’s Comments
The apology follows a statement by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who chairs the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, announcing that his team would call Meta to account for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s remark.
Dubey wrote on X, “My committee will summon Meta over this misinformation. False information damages the reputation of any democratic nation.”
He added, “The organization must apologize to the Indian Parliament and the people of India for this error.”
Earlier, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticized Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for his “incorrect claim” about the government, expressing disappointment over the billionaire spreading misinformation.
Vaishnaw stated, “India, the world’s largest democracy, held the 2024 elections with over 640 million voters. The people of India reaffirmed their trust in the NDA under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership. Mr. Zuckerberg’s claim that most incumbent governments, including India, lost in the 2024 elections due to COVID is factually incorrect.”
What Zuckerberg said
In a podcast, part of a series of media appearances following his announcement to end the third-party fact-checking system in the US and implement controversial changes to his platforms’ content policies, Zuckerberg stated that after the COVID-19 pandemic, people lost trust in government-provided information, leading to the defeat of incumbent governments in the 2024 elections.
Zuckerberg remarked, “It’s not just the US. While many in the US view this as an American issue, I believe the reaction to Covid likely led to a worldwide loss of trust in governments. 2024 was a major election year globally, with countries like India and many others seeing incumbents lose in almost every election.”
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