NEW DELHI: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has called out Meta Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for his inaccurate comments on India during a podcast with Joe Rogan.
Zuckerberg, while discussing global dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, claimed that most incumbent governments, including India, lost in the 2024 elections.
In the podcast, Zuckerberg remarked, “2024 was the big election year around the world, and in a lot of countries like India and tons of others that had elections, the incumbents basically lost every single one. There’s some sort of global phenomenon… a broad decrease in trust, at least in the set incumbents and maybe in these democratic institutions overall.”
Responding sharply, Vaishnaw took to X to debunk Zuckerberg’s claims. He wrote, “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.”
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.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections,…
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 13, 2025
Vaishnaw categorically pointed out that Zuckerberg’s assertion about incumbents losing elections, particularly in India, was factually incorrect. He highlighted India’s decisive measures during the pandemic, such as providing free foodgrains to over 800 million citizens, administering 2.2 billion free vaccine doses, and extending aid to nations during COVID-19.
He further credited India’s robust post-pandemic recovery and status as the fastest-growing major economy for the NDA’s decisive third-term victory. Vaishnaw emphasized, “PM Modi’s decisive 3rd-term victory is a testament to good governance and public trust.”
Concluding his remarks, Vaishnaw expressed disappointment over Zuckerberg’s comments, stating, “@Meta, it’s disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let’s uphold facts and credibility.”
