NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Committee is set to summon representatives of the social media giant Meta after its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, claimed that most incumbent governments, including Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), lost their positions post the Covid -19 pandemic.
Zuckerberg made the remarks during an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and said, “A lot of people in the United States focus on this as an American phenomenon, but I kind of think that the reaction to Covid probably caused a breakdown and trust in a lot of governments around the world, because 2024 was a big election year around the world. And you know there are all these countries, India, just like a ton of countries, that had elections and the incumbents, basically lost every single one of them.”
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, in a post on X, announced his intention to summon Meta over these remarks. “My committee will call Meta for this wrong information,” Dubey wrote.
He further said, “Wrong information in any democratic country tarnishes the image of the country. That organization will have to apologize to the Indian Parliament and the people here for this mistake.”
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also criticised Zuckerberg’s statement, calling it factually incorrect. In a detailed post on X, Vaishnaw highlighted the achievements of the NDA government during the Covid -19 pandemic and its decisive victory in the 2024 elections.
Also read: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gets India Lok Sabha elections wrong, says NDA lost
“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, lost post-Covid is factually incorrect,” Vaishnaw wrote.
He added, “From free food for 800 million, 2.2 billion free vaccines, and aid to nations worldwide during Covid , to leading India as the fastest-growing major economy, PM Modi’s decisive 3rd-term victory is a testament to good governance and public trust. @Meta, it’s disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let’s uphold facts and credibility.”
Also read: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw fact-checks Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg on 2024 polls
The Parliamentary Committee’s action comes amidst rising concerns about misinformation on global platforms and its potential impact on democratic processes.
