 "Meta apologizes to India, says Mark Zuckerberg’s statement on Lok Sabha elections 2024 is wrong")
Meta India has apologized for Mark Zuckerberg’s statement on India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Meta describes this as an “inadvertent error”. The matter came up when Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav objected to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s statement. Zuckerberg claimed in the show “The Joe Rogan Experience” that during the Covid-19 epidemic, people have lost faith in their governments and the ruling parties of many countries have lost in the elections held in 2024. . In this context he also took the name of India.
Answer by Ashwani Vaishnav
Ashwini Vaishnav termed Zuckerberg’s statement as misleading and disappointing. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “India, the world’s largest democracy, has shown its strength in the 2024 elections with over 640 million voters. People kept their faith in NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Zuckerberg’s claim that ruling governments have lost elections in many countries, including India, is factually incorrect. Establishing India as the world’s fastest growing economy with 800 million free meals, 2.2 billion free vaccines and global aid during Covid is a testament to Prime Minister Modi’s decisive victory and public trust. He urged META to avoid such misleading statements and verify the facts.
#INDIA | Meta apologises for Mark Zuckerberg’s Indian elections remarks: ‘Inadvertent error’ 🗣️🙏
Tap for more details 👇https://t.co/P6LJrubutZ#Meta #MarkZuckerberg #IndianElections
— Moneycontrol (@moneycontrolcom) January 15, 2025
Meta’s answer
Shivnath Thukral, Vice President, Public Policy, Meta responded to Ashwini Vaishnav’s post and wrote: “Honourable Minister Sir, Zuckerberg’s comment that ruling parties in 2024 may be true for many countries, but not for India. This was an inadvertent error and we apologize for it. “India is a very important country for Meta and we are committed to being part of its innovative future.”
What did Zuckerberg say?
Mark Zuckerberg said in “The Joe Rogan Experience”: “A lot of people think of this as a US-only issue, but I think the response to Covid-19 has caused a loss of faith in governments around the world. Big elections were held in 2024 and the governments of these countries, including India, lost their power.
Public and government reactions
The public and the government reacted strongly to Zuckerberg’s statement. While some saw it as an attempt to tarnish India’s image, Metta immediately apologized and tried to defuse the controversy.