New Delhi: A day after Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticised Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for claiming that the incumbent Indian government lost the election following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey announced that his team would soon summon Meta.
As the chairperson of the committee on communications and information technology, Dubey made this statement on X on Tuesday (January 14).
“My committee will call Meta for this wrong information. Wrong information in any democratic country tarnishes the image of the country. That organisation will have to apologise to the Indian Parliament and the people here for this mistake,” Dubey wrote.
मेरी कमिटि इस ग़लत जानकारी के लिए @Meta को बुलाएगी । किसी भी लोकतांत्रिक देश की ग़लत जानकारी देश की छवि को धूमिल करती है । इस गलती के लिए भारतीय संसद से तथा यहाँ की जनता से उस संस्था को माफ़ी माँगनी पड़ेगी https://t.co/HulRl1LF4z
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) January 14, 2025
During a recent podcast appearance, Zuckerberg suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a breakdown of trust in governments worldwide, resulting in incumbent governments losing elections, including in India in 2024.
Railways, IT, and broadcasting minister Vaishnaw took to social media to refute Zuckerberg’s claim that the incumbent government lost the election in India. He countered that the voters reaffirmed their trust in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Vaishnaw pointed out that 2024 Lok Sabha polls was a decisive victory for Modi’s government, citing various initiatives such as free food and vaccines during the pandemic. He expressed disappointment that Zuckerberg, as the head of Meta, would spread misinformation and urged him to uphold facts and credibility.
“Mr. Zuckerberg’s claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections, lost post-COVID is factually incorrect… Meta, it’s disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let’s uphold facts and credibility,” Vaishnaw wrote.
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.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections,…
Advertisement— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Meta has announced changes to its fact-checking approach, moving away from partnerships with professional fact-checking organisations in favour of a community-driven approach. Vaishnaw had previously commented on this decision, stating that it highlights the importance of having those closest to the information verify its accuracy.
