Meta has issued an apology following Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s comments about Indian elections. The controversy arose after Zuckerberg reportedly claimed that most incumbent governments, including India in the 2024 elections, lost post-COVID — a statement Vaishnaw labeled as “factually incorrect”.
Taking to X, Vaishnaw highlighted India’s successful 2024 elections, which saw over 640 million voters reaffirm their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He praised the government’s initiatives, such as free food for 800 million people, 2.2 billion vaccine doses and international aid during the pandemic, as key factors behind Modi’s decisive third-term victory. “Meta, it’s disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let’s uphold facts and credibility,” the Minister posted.
Responding to the minister, Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy, Shivnath Thukral, clarified Zuckerberg’s remarks, stating they were true for several countries but not for India. “We would like to apologise for this inadvertent error. India remains an incredibly important country for Meta and we look forward to being at the heart of its innovative future.”
