‘Is Ambani the Real Boss of India?’ Musk’s Question Sparks New Controversy
The rivalry between US billionaire Elon Musk and India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has intensified over the launch of satellite-based internet services in India. Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, has directly questioned on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) the prolonged delay in granting approval to Starlink, a satellite internet service provider seeking to operate in India. In a provocative post, he asked, “Is Mr. Ambani the real boss of India?”
The controversy began last Wednesday when Mr. Musk indirectly accused “a few oligarchs”, a small group of influential businesspeople, of obstructing Starlink’s entry into India’s telecommunications market. Without naming anyone, he said, “You can easily guess who is blocking it.” Following Mr. Musk’s remarks, India’s Ministry of Communications and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) rejected the allegations, stating that the country’s satellite communications policy was neutral and non-discriminatory.
Following the government’s response, the tech billionaire voiced his frustration again on X on Thursday. He wrote, “Starlink is authorised in more than 165 countries around the world. We have been trying for the last five years to comply with every law and requirement of the Indian government. Why has the licence still not been granted? Is Mr. Ambani the real boss of India?”
India’s opposition leader and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has also joined the debate. Addressing Mr. Musk on X, Gandhi wrote, “Welcome to India, Mr. Elon. Wait until you discover the other guy (Mr. Ambani/Adani).” Responding to Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Musk said, “Thank you, Mr. Rahul. This is indeed concerning.”
In another post, Mr. Musk claimed that those opposing Starlink were ultimately harming disadvantaged people. He said, “The wealthy already have good internet access in major cities. Starlink will help bring internet access to remote and underserved areas of India.”
Meanwhile, India’s Department of Telecommunications said that Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Sunil Bharti Mittal; Reliance Jio, owned by Mukesh Ambani; and Starlink were all undergoing the same approval process. Security clearances are currently underway, and the process will move to the next stage of spectrum allocation once all formalities are completed.
Source: The Times of India
