BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey, who chairs the parliamentary committee on Communications and Information Technology, has announced that his committee will summon Meta regarding a statement made by the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, in a recent podcast. In the podcast, Zuckerberg suggested that governments worldwide, including India, lost elections in 2024 due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on public trust. Dubey criticized Zuckerberg’s statement, calling it misinformation and asserting that it damaged the image of democratic institutions, particularly in India.
Zuckerberg made the comments on January 10, stating that the Covid-19 pandemic led to a global breakdown in trust between governments and their citizens. He claimed that this erosion of trust was a factor in the outcome of many elections worldwide in 2024. "2024 was a big election year around the world, and all these countries, India included, had elections, and the incumbents basically lost every single one," Zuckerberg said. He linked the pandemic’s economic and health impacts to the loss of trust in governments, suggesting that the response to Covid, inflation, and economic policies contributed to the election results.
However, the claim about India’s 2024 election results was inaccurate. In the 2024 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retained power, securing a majority in the Lok Sabha. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the leading party in the NDA, did not win an outright majority on its own, the NDA’s combined seat tally was sufficient to form a government. Modi’s third-term victory was secured with the support of NDA allies, despite the BJP’s reduced seat count.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responded to Zuckerberg’s statement, rejecting it as erroneous. Vaishnaw emphasized that India’s electoral process involved over 640 million voters, who reaffirmed their trust in the NDA and PM Modi’s leadership. He pointed out that India’s response to the pandemic, including distributing free food to 800 million people, administering 2.2 billion vaccine doses, and providing international aid, demonstrated effective governance. He also highlighted India’s position as the fastest-growing major economy, which he said was a testament to Modi’s leadership.
Dubey echoed Vaishnaw’s criticism, stating that misinformation about democratic processes could harm India’s international reputation. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Misinformation about any democratic country maligns its image. Such an organization would have to apologize to India’s Parliament and its people.”
Dubey’s committee will investigate the matter, seeking an official apology from Meta for the spread of false information. The summons to Meta marks a significant step in India’s ongoing efforts to address misinformation on social media platforms. The Indian government has previously expressed concerns over the influence of foreign tech companies and their responsibility to ensure accurate and responsible content.