Meta India apologises for Zuckerberg’s remark on Indian election
Meta India vice-president Shivnath Thukral apologised for the inadvertent error and said India remains an incredibly important country for Meta;
Meta India apologised on Wednesday (January 15) for its co-founder Mark Zuckerberg's remark that the Indian government lost power in the 2024 parliamentary elections and called it an "inadvertent error".
The apology by Meta India vice-president Shivnath Thukral comes after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said the parliamentary panel on IT, which he heads, will summon the company officials over the remark.
The apology
"Zuckerberg's observation that many incumbent parties were not re-elected in the 2024 elections holds true for several countries, BUT not India. We would like to apologise for this inadvertent error,” Thukral tweeted.
“India remains an incredibly important country for Meta, and we look forward to being at the heart of its innovative future," he added.
Re-tweeting Thukral's post, Dubey said the apology was a "victory of the common citizens" of India.
BJP targets Mark
But he said the House panel would summon Meta and other social media platforms on other matters in the future.
Appearing on the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg, who owns social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, said most governments, including in India, were voted out of power after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Union ministers like Ashwini Vaishnaw and BJP MPs were quick to call out the error by the Meta CEO and sought an apology.
Minister’s first reaction
Vaishnaw said earlier: "Zuckerberg's claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections, lost post-Covid is factually incorrect."
"As the world's largest democracy, India conducted the 2024 elections with over 640 million voters. People of India reaffirmed their trust in NDA led by PM @narendramodi Ji's leadership," he said.
The minister had debunked Zuckerberg's remarks as misinformation, and made it clear that Meta must uphold facts and credibility.
The summons
Dubey on Tuesday said the panel will summon the firm following its chairman's comments that India's ruling dispensation lost the Lok Sabha election last year.
"Incorrect information about any democratic country tarnishes its image. This organisation will have to apologise to the Indian parliament and the people for this mistake," he said.