Hindu Group Calls for Starlink Ban in India Amid Musk-Ambani Dispute
Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an influential Hindu nationalist organisation closely associated with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has called for a ban on Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink in India amid an ongoing business dispute between Musk and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
Citing serious national security risks, the organisation on Wednesday urged the Indian government to suspend or block Starlink’s licence.
According to the organisation, allowing a foreign private satellite company direct access to India’s sensitive communications infrastructure could pose a threat to national security.
Musk has repeatedly expressed frustration on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, targeting Ambani and his company Reliance Jio. Musk has accused Ambani and the Narendra Modi government of unfairly preventing Starlink from entering the Indian market. In a recent post, Musk questioned whether Ambani was the real leader of India.
India has more than one billion internet users, making it one of the world’s largest potential markets for satellite internet services. Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel are already awaiting final approval to launch their own satellite-based internet services.
SJM has previously played a significant role in shaping Indian government policies aimed at protecting small domestic businesses from the dominance of foreign e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Walmart.
Source: Reuters
