BJP leader Ram Madhav attacked Rahul Gandhi over his response to Elon Musk’s “Ambani” post amid the controversy surrounding Starlink’s India operations.
Madhav said spectrum allocation for Starlink, Jio and Airtel would follow a transparent, non-discriminatory process, adding that India was not a “banana republic”.
The row escalated after Musk questioned whether domestic business interests were obstructing Starlink, prompting the Centre to defend India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services.
The BJP on Friday attacked Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his response to Elon Musk’s “Ambani” post on Starlink’s India operations, while insisting that spectrum allocation would follow the law and remain non-discriminatory. BJP leader Ram Madhav also said India was not a “banana republic”.
Madhav said companies such as Jio, Airtel and Starlink were all waiting for spectrum allocation.
Madhav Hits Back
“The whole country would like to know what happened overnight. He (Gandhi) should explain to the country. As far as the spectrum issue is concerned, we have seen that under the UPA government, their leaders were involved in spectrum-related corruption cases. The spectrum was sold in an indiscriminate way, leading to huge corruption allegations. This is the Modi government. Everything will happen in a transparent and non-discriminatory way,” BJP national vice president Ram Madhav said.
He added that due process for the license was being followed. Indian companies such as Jio and Airtel, along with Starlink, were also waiting for approvals, he said.
“Elon Musk must remember that he is not dealing with a banana republic. He is dealing with a big country which is respected, whose leadership is respected globally. You should also be respectful towards this country and its leadership. Here there is a proper system, non-discriminatory system in place to allocate spectrum and whom he was seeking to ridicule as oligarchs. Mr Musk was seeking to ridicule some of our leaders as oligarchs,” he said.
He continued the attack on Gandhi’s position. “In a very non-discriminatory way, the Government of India will take its decision at an appropriate time. But what is more surprising is that Mr Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, who earlier always used to accuse us of surrendering before the American leadership, before Musk, today, he has become a big champion of Elon Musk's cause,” Madhav said.
Musk And Gandhi
On Thursday, the Centre rejected allegations that Starlink’s satellite internet services were being blocked by domestic business interests. After that, Musk asked if “Ambani is the real boss of India”.
Without taking any names, Gandhi replied on X later the same day. “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy”
Musk had made the original allegation on Wednesday. “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!” he said in response to a post arguing that India needs Starlink to bridge connectivity gaps in underserved areas.
The Centre pushed back on the charge on Thursday. It dismissed the allegation and said India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services was “fair and non-discriminatory”.
