Wed Jan 15 23:47:55 UTC 2025: ## Meta Apologizes for Zuckerberg’s Misleading Claim About India’s 2024 Elections

**NEW DELHI** – Meta, the parent company of Facebook, issued a formal apology on Wednesday for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s inaccurate statement regarding the outcome of India’s 2024 general elections. Zuckerberg, during a recent interview on the Joe Rogan podcast, claimed that the incumbent Indian government lost the election due to its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, a claim swiftly refuted by Indian officials.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, using the platform X (formerly Twitter), publicly called Zuckerberg’s assertion “factually incorrect,” highlighting the decisive re-election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA coalition. Vaishnaw pointed to India’s successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign and economic growth as evidence contradicting Zuckerberg’s statement. Nishikant Dubey, a Member of Parliament, even threatened to summon Meta before a parliamentary committee.

In response to the criticism, Meta India’s Vice President, Shivnath Thukral, issued an apology, stating that while Zuckerberg’s observation about incumbent parties losing elections globally in 2024 held true for several countries, it did not apply to India. Thukral emphasized India’s importance to Meta.

Following the apology, Dubey declared the matter closed, citing the apology as a “victory for the common citizens of India.” The incident underscores the sensitivity surrounding political narratives and the importance of factual accuracy in public statements, particularly from prominent global figures.

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