NEW DELHI: Demanding an apology Goal for “tarnishing the image of India”, the head of the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology Nishikant Dubey He said the social media giant would be summoned over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s comment that India’s current government had lost the last general election.
In a post on X, BJP MP Dubey accused Zuckerberg of spreading disinformation through your comments. “My committee will call out Meta for this misinformation. Misinformation 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,” he wrote in his post. On how much time Meta would be given for a response, Dubey said: “Our committee will be visiting Andaman and Nicobar Islands from tomorrow. Our committee will conclude the visit on January 20. There we will speak with the committee members. We will ask you to be present between January 20 and 24.”
He was reacting to I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s criticism of Zuckerberg for making an “objectively incorrect” statement that the current Indian government lost the 2024 elections over issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dubey: Meta-chief’s statement is interference in India’s democracy
“It’s disappointing to see misinformation from Zuckerberg himself. Let’s stand up for facts and credibility,” Vaishnaw said Monday, tagging Meta on X and other social media platforms. “From free food for 800 million, 2.2 billion free vaccines and aid to nations around the world during Covid, to leading India as the fastest growing major economy, Prime Minister Modi’s decisive third term victory is a testimony of good governance and public trust”. he further added.
Appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Zuckerberg said that 2024 was the big election year around the world and that in many countries like India, incumbents lost the polls.
“There is some kind of global phenomenon, whether it’s inflation due to economic policies to deal with Covid or just how governments dealt with Covid, it seems to have this effect that is global, not just in the US, but in a very wide area. broad decline in trust, at least in established rulers and perhaps in some democratic institutions in general,” he said.
In the 2024 elections, the BJP lost its majority, but the party-led alliance won a comfortable majority, paving the way for Narendra Modi’s third consecutive term.
Dubey further said that Zuckerberg’s statement was alarming and an interference in India’s democracy.