International
oi-Prakash KL
Elon Musk has stepped up his criticism of the regulatory process delaying Starlink’s commercial launch in India, even questioning whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is the “real boss of India”.
On Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk raised eyebrows, first by accusing that powerful business interests were preventing Starlink from entering the Indian market. He claimed that “certain oligarchs” were trying to protect their dominant position in the country’s telecommunications sector.
Elon Musk criticized India for Starlink’s delayed launch, alleging oligarchs influence blocked entry and questioning Mukesh Ambani, but India’s government denied discrimination, stating licensed firms like Starlink, Jio, and OneWeb need further security and spectrum approvals.
Late, he targeted Ambani with another social media post and it got a sharp response from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who appeared to take a swipe at industrialist Gautam Adani without naming him.
“Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy,” Gandhi posted on X in response to Musk.
Musk replied within an hour, saying, “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”
In his first post, Musk questioned why Starlink had still not received the final approvals needed to start commercial operations in India.
“Starlink is licenced in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?” Musk wrote.
He was responding to a post alleging that the government was protecting the interests of “crony capitalists” rather than consumers. Musk had accused unnamed oligarchs of using their “monopolistic chokehold” to prevent Starlink from operating in India.
“Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are. This is a crime against the people of India!” Musk said.
Musk also highlighted Starlink’s potential to expand internet access in parts of India that remain underserved by conventional connectivity networks.
The Indian government, however, rejected the allegations and maintained that the regulatory framework for satellite internet services was being applied equally to all companies.
“The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” the Ministry of Communications said in a statement, without directly referring to Musk or Starlink.
Three companies have received licences to provide satellite communication services in India – Starlink, Reliance Jio’s Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb.
However, the licences do not by themselves allow the companies to begin commercial operations. They must also complete mandatory security clearances and obtain the necessary spectrum-related approvals before launching services.
Gandhi’s reference to “the other guy” appeared to point towards Adani, whom the Congress has frequently accused of having close links with the BJP-led government and benefiting from favourable policies. The Adani Group has rejected such allegations.
