New Update
/newsdrum-in/media/media_files/2025/01/15/c2bpGe5RAd6xMxZscq1K.jpg)
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg (File image)
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg (File image)
New Delhi: Meta, the parent company of social media giants like Facebook and Instagram, issued an apology on Tuesday to Indian Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over a controversial statement made by its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.
The apology came in response to a post by Vaishnaw on the social media platform X, where he criticised Zuckerberg for spreading misinformation about the outcome of India's 2024 general elections.
On January 13, 2025, Vaishnaw took to X to refute claims made by Zuckerberg during an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Zuckerberg had suggested that post-COVID, a global trend had emerged where most incumbent governments lost in the elections of 2024, mistakenly including India in this narrative.
Vaishnaw said that contrary to Zuckerberg's claim, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a decisive victory in the 2024 elections, marking Modi's third term in office.
As the world’s largest democracy, India conducted the 2024 elections with over 640 million voters. People of India reaffirmed their trust in NDA led by PM @narendramodi Ji’s leadership.
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 13, 2025
Mr. Zuckerberg’s claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections,…
Vaishnaw highlighted the achievements of the Modi government, including providing free food to 800 million people, distributing 2.2 billion free vaccines, and aiding nations worldwide during the COVID-19 crisis, all while maintaining India as the fastest-growing major economy. He expressed his disappointment in seeing misinformation from a figure like Zuckerberg, urging Meta to uphold facts and credibility.
In response to Vaishnaw's post, Shivnath Thukral, Director of Public Policy at Meta India, issued an apology via a reply on X.
Thukral acknowledged that while Zuckerberg's observation about the trend of incumbent parties losing in several countries during the 2024 elections was accurate, it was incorrect in the context of India.
He offered a sincere apology for this ‘inadvertent error’.
"India remains an incredibly important country for @Meta, and we look forward to being at the heart of its innovative future," Thukral stated, underscoring the company's commitment to India's digital landscape.
Dear Honourable Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw , Mark's observation that many incumbent parties were not re-elected in 2024 elections holds true for several countries, BUT not India. We would like to apologise for this inadvertent error. India remains an incredibly important country…
— Shivnath Thukral (@shivithukral) January 14, 2025
Earlier on Tuesday, Seeking an apology from social media giant Meta for "tarnishing" India's image, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who heads the Parliament's Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, said that the panel will summon the tech giant.
In the 2024 election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its majority, but the ruling alliance led by the party won a comfortable majority, paving the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third straight term.