Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia criticised the Congress party on October 9 over its position on Starlink’s licence to operate in India, saying the government’s policy is already defined and that licences have been granted to three companies. He was speaking at the 10th edition of India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi, according to The News Mill, which credited inputs from the ANI news agency.
Key facts
- Scindia said three parties hold a licence, and that it is “not a single party”, The News Mill reports.
- He said spectrum will be assigned to licence holders on a revenue-sharing basis once the government settles the charge system.
- He said companies can begin operations individually once they fulfil the security conditions.
- He said he did not understand the Congress party’s position, which he described as first objecting to a particular person getting a licence and then objecting to that person not getting one.
- The remarks follow SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk questioning the delay in approving Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, in India.
What Scindia said
Scindia framed the Congress position as incoherent. “I don’t think they themselves know whether they are going left or right,” he said of the party, as quoted by The News Mill. The minister said the party had initially objected to a certain person receiving a licence and had since aligned with that person over why the licence had not been granted.
On process, he said the government’s stand was clear and repeated that the licence count stood at three.
Why it matters
For anyone waiting on Starlink availability in India, Scindia’s comments describe two remaining gates rather than a launch. On his account, a licence alone is not enough: spectrum still has to be assigned once the government decides how operators will be charged on a revenue basis, and each company has to satisfy security conditions before it can switch on.
The dispute is also about who is allowed into the market. Scindia’s insistence that three companies, not one, already hold licences is a direct answer to the claim that the process favours a single player, and the government has already rejected the idea that any one operator is being favoured.
How the row started
The exchange began with Musk, who according to The Hindu questioned why approval for Starlink in India had been delayed and asked whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is the “real boss of India”. Reliance Industries is an Indian conglomerate whose interests include telecommunications. The Hindu reports Musk said Starlink had spent five years complying with Indian regulations but was still waiting for clearance.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi then replied to Musk on X, writing that Starlink had been unable to secure a licence despite complying with Indian regulations for five years and telling Musk to wait until he discovered “the other guy”, The News Mill reports. Musk called the reply “indeed troubling”.
The Department of Telecommunications, the arm of the Indian government that handles telecom licensing, rejected the allegations of bias, according to The Hindu, saying security assessments were under way and that the same rules applied to all operators. That is the only official explanation of the delay carried by either report; neither sets out which assessments remain outstanding.
What is still unknown
This account rests on two published reports, The News Mill and The Hindu. Scindia did not name the three licence holders and gave no date for the spectrum charge framework or the security clearances; neither report quotes a departmental order or licence filing, carries a response from SpaceX or Reliance Industries, or gives a Starlink price or launch date for India. Starlink News has sought the Department of Telecommunications’ statement text and will update this report if the department, SpaceX or Reliance comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How has the Congress party explained Rahul Gandhi’s post?
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram told reporters earlier on October 9 that Gandhi’s comment was subtle and “laced with great sarcasm”, and that the point had been lost on most people, The News Mill reports. He said the remark was aimed at how the central government encourages monopolies and oligarchy, and at influential corporate entities shaping policy.
Is Starlink one of the three licence holders Scindia referred to?
Neither report establishes that. Scindia said a licence is held by three parties but did not identify them, according to The News Mill, and The Hindu reports the Department of Telecommunications says security assessments are still under way. Starlink News has not seen a licence filing or departmental order naming the holders.
Did Scindia answer Musk’s remark about Mukesh Ambani?
Not in the remarks published by The News Mill. Scindia addressed the Congress party’s position and the licence count; the report does not record him mentioning Musk, Ambani or Reliance Industries by name.
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