Musk alleges Starlink is blocked as India cites shared reviews

Elon Musk accused unnamed Indian business interests of obstructing Starlink’s entry into India, while the government said security assessments for all three licensed satellite operators are underway under the same process. The public dispute also drew in opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who exchanged posts with Musk on X. Musk alleged that unnamed oligarchs were blocking Starlink to preserve a monopoly and later asked whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani was the real boss of India. He did not name anyone he believed was responsible or provide evidence for the allegation. The reports establish the accusation, but do not independently establish that business interests intervened in the approval process. Gandhi responded to Musk, writing, “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.” Musk thanked him and described the situation as troubling. Gandhi’s reply did not identify who he meant by the other guy. India’s Ministry of Communications said security assessments were underway for Starlink, Reliance Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb, and that the three operators were broadly at the same regulatory stage.