‘Is Ambani The Real Boss Of India?’: Elon Musk Amid Starlink Row, Rahul Gandhi Responds

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk questioned why Starlink has not yet received a licence to operate in India despite the company complying with government requirements, and asked whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is “the real boss of India”.

Musk made the remarks on X while responding to a user. “Starlink is licensed 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 posted.

Congress leader and LoP Rahul Gandhi responded to Musk’s post, writing: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”

Musk later replied to Gandhi, saying, “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”

The exchange came on Thursday, hours after the Ministry of Communications rejected allegations of discriminatory treatment in India’s satellite communication approval process as “baseless and misconceived”.

The ministry said security assessments were underway for all three licensed satellite operators, placing them at broadly the same stage of the regulatory process.

Govt Clarification

In a statement issued through the Press Information Bureau, the Ministry of Communications said the government had approved telecom licences for three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services based on non-geosynchronous satellite orbit-based satellite communications.

“The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services,” the ministry said.

Under the licence conditions, operators are required to demonstrate compliance with security requirements intended to protect users and their data. Completion of the assessment allows a company to proceed to the next stage of seeking spectrum assignment.

“Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum,” the ministry said.

Musk Alleges ‘Certain Oligarchs’ Blocking Starlink

The government’s clarification followed an earlier post by Musk alleging that Starlink was being blocked by “certain oligarchs” to maintain the dominance of existing business interests in India.

“Unfortunately, we (Starlink) 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 wrote on X on Wednesday.

Musk did not identify the individuals or companies he was referring to.

He was responding to an X account, DogeDesigner, which had urged authorities to complete Starlink’s clearances. The post argued that satellite broadband could provide reliable, high-speed internet connectivity to remote villages and underserved communities.

The Ministry of Communications, however, said all three licensed satellite operators were currently undergoing security assessments under the same regulatory framework.