Rahul Gandhi reacts to Elon Musk's ‘Is Ambani the real boss of India?’: Here's a look at their conversation on X

On October 8, Elon Musk and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi engaged in a social media exchange regarding Starlink's struggle to obtain a license to operate satellite internet services in India. Musk claimed that Starlink had spent five years complying with Indian laws and regulations but had not been granted a license, questioning whether Mukesh Ambani was the real "boss" of India. Rahul Gandhi welcomed Musk to India, adding, "Wait till you discover the other guy."

The Ministry of Communications refuted Musk's allegations, stating that India had a fair and non-discriminatory regulatory framework for telecommunications services, including satellite communications. The ministry said that all three licensed satellite operators—Starlink, Reliance Jio’s Jio Satcom, and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb—were at the same regulatory stage and required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions before proceeding to commercial operations.

The ministry's statement deemed suggestions that the regulatory framework or its application was unfair or discriminatory as "baseless and misconceived." The delay in granting Starlink's license was attributed to security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, not specific to Starlink. Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal echoed similar sentiments, stating that his satellite venture was also awaiting regulatory approvals.

The exchange came after Musk's earlier allegation that unnamed "oligarchs" were blocking Starlink to protect a monopolistic chokehold on the Indian market, which he did not name. Starlink has invested in India-specific security controls and built 20 gateway sites in the country, ensuring that user data remains within India.