NEW DELHI: Chairman of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology Nishikant Dubey announced on Tuesday that the panel would summon Meta chairman Mark Zuckerberg over his “factually incorrect” statements about the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
"My committee will summon Meta for this incorrect information. Incorrect information about any democratic country tarnishes its image. This organisation will have to apologise to the Indian Parliament and the people here for this mistake," Dubey said in a post on X.
On Monday, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had lashed out at Zuckerberg for his remarks. Zuckerberg founded Meta, which owns Facebook.
“It is disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let’s uphold facts and credibility,” Vaishnaw wrote on X.
“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,” he added.
Vaishnaw said that Zuckerberg’s “factually incorrect” remarks failed to acknowledge India’s achievements and the strong mandate secured by the government.
The remarks are part of the Meta founder’s comments in a podcast with Joe Rogan.
Appearing on the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg said 2024 was the big election year around the world and in a lot of countries like India, the incumbents lost the polls.
"There is some sort of global phenomena, whether it was inflation because of the economic policies to deal with Covid or just how the governments dealt with Covid, seems to have this effect that is global, not just the US, but like a very broad decrease in trust, at least in the set incumbents and maybe, in sort of these democratic institutions overall," he said.
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.