Parliamentary panel to summon Zuckerberg over poll claim

Seeking an apology from social media giant Meta for 'tarnishing' India's image, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, who heads the Parliament's Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, said on Tuesday that the panel will summon the firm following its chairman's comments that India's ruling dispensation lost the Lok Sabha election last year.

IMAGE: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla during the pre-wedding bash of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, in Jamnagar on March 2, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

'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.

He was reacting to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's criticism of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who owns the controlling stake in the Meta group of companies, for making a 'factually incorrect' statement that the incumbent government in India lost the election in 2024 over issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'It is disappointing to see misinformation from Mr Zuckerberg himself. Let's uphold facts and credibility,' Vaishnaw said, tagging Meta on X and other social media platforms.

'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.

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 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.