The Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology is preparing to summon Meta following controversial remarks by CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding India's 2024 general election outcomes.
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Committee chairman and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey announced the impending summons, emphasizing that Meta would need to address allegations of spreading misinformation about India's democratic process. "Misinformation on a democratic country maligns its image. The organisation would have to apologise to the Parliament and the people here for this mistake," Dubey stated on social media platform X.
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The controversy stems from Zuckerberg's January 10 podcast appearance, where the Meta chief executive incorrectly suggested that incumbent governments worldwide, including India's, had lost their elections in 2024 due to COVID-19's aftermath. Zuckerberg attributed these supposed losses to various factors, including inflation and pandemic-related policy decisions.
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Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw swiftly countered Zuckerberg's assertion, highlighting that India's 2024 electoral process, involving over 640 million voters, had actually resulted in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) maintaining power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Vaishnaw, who oversees multiple crucial portfolios including Railways and Information Technology in the Modi 3.0 government, detailed the administration's achievements, citing the provision of free food to 800 million citizens and the distribution of 2.2 billion vaccine doses during the pandemic.
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While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did experience some electoral setbacks and fell short of an absolute majority, the NDA coalition secured a comfortable victory. The opposition alliance, led by the Congress party, made gains but failed to seriously challenge the ruling coalition's dominance. The election result culminated in Prime Minister Modi's historic third consecutive term, making him only the second Indian Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to achieve this milestone.
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The parliamentary summons marks a significant escalation in tensions between the Indian government and Meta, highlighting growing concerns about the role of social media platforms in disseminating information about democratic processes.
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META CEO Mark Zuckerberg and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey

Zuckerberg's misstatement about Indian election results prompts summons from standing committee

Meta Chief's Election Gaffe Draws Parliamentary Scrutiny

Zuckerberg's misstatement about Indian election results prompts summons from standing committee

January 14, 2025 | 15:09 IST