A two-line exchange on X between SpaceX chief Elon Musk and Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in India’s Lok Sabha, has pulled India’s governing party into the dispute over why Starlink still cannot sell satellite internet in the country. Gandhi replied on October 8 to Musk’s complaint about Starlink’s missing commercial licence, and the exchange has since drawn rebuttals from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Union Ministry of Communications.
Key facts
- Gandhi wrote to Musk: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.” Musk replied that the situation was “indeed troubling”, according to news agency ANI as carried by Lokmat Times.
- BJP leader Ram Madhav said India was not a “banana republic” and that spectrum allocation and satellite approvals would be governed by law, Millat Times reported.
- Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia rejected Musk’s allegations on October 9, saying India does not allow monopoly in any sector.
- The Ministry of Communications called the suggestion that its framework is unfair or discriminatory “baseless and misconceived”.
Why it matters
Musk says Starlink is licensed in more than 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every Indian law and requirement, yet still has no clearance to sell, both outlets reported. The ministry’s answer is that a licence is not permission to trade: a security assessment has to be completed before an operator can seek spectrum assignment, and commercial service waits on both. That sequence, not satellite coverage, is what sets Starlink availability in India.
On the government’s account the fight is therefore about timing rather than exclusion: the ministry says all three licensed satellite operators sit at broadly the same regulatory stage, with assessments under way, so none has yet been cleared to take customers. Neither the ministry statement nor Musk’s posts put a date on when that changes, and the government has not said how long the assessment will run. Starlink has hit the same licence-before-launch gap in other markets; Starlink News reported that Starlink remains unlicensed in South Africa while use keeps growing.
What the row means for prices and availability
Nothing in either report attaches a retail price to Indian satellite internet. Scindia said the government was working towards finalising revenue-based charges for satellite spectrum, with the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India involved in the process, Millat Times reported — a cost input that is still unsettled and that operators would carry into whatever consumer tariffs they eventually file. Starlink has published no Indian plan or hardware pricing in the cited reporting. Until the assessment and spectrum steps close, Starlink availability in India remains both undated and unpriced.
How the exchange escalated
Musk alleged on October 7 that powerful business interests were blocking Starlink’s entry to protect their dominance, writing that the company was being blocked by “certain oligarchs” and calling the alleged obstruction a crime against the people of India, Millat Times reported. On October 8 he named a target, asking why there was still no licence and whether Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, was the real boss of India; he later addressed Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” on Saturday. Gandhi’s welcome followed, and Musk thanked him. The whole exchange sits on the two men’s X accounts — @elonmusk and @RahulGandhi — rather than in any formal statement from SpaceX or the Congress party.
Millat Times notes the dispute drew in Reliance and its telecom arm Reliance Jio, a major player in India’s telecoms market that is also pursuing satellite services.
BJP and the government push back
Madhav’s political framing
Madhav questioned Gandhi’s intervention and pointed to spectrum controversies during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, Millat Times reported. The outlet said the BJP cast the row as a question of regulatory sovereignty and compliance, and denied favouring any one operator.
Scindia and the ministry’s regulatory answer
Scindia said Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb — the Bharti-backed satellite operator — had all received satellite communication licences but could not begin commercial operations until they met the applicable security requirements and finished the remaining formalities, according to Millat Times. The ministry’s own statement, quoted by ANI, said every licensee must demonstrate compliance with prescribed security conditions to protect users and their data.
What is missing from the record
The on-record voices so far are overwhelmingly the government’s. Gandhi’s eleven-word reply is the whole of the opposition’s contribution in both reports: neither outlet carried a fuller Congress statement, an independent telecom analyst’s reading of where the licensing queue actually stands, or fresh comment from Reliance Industries or Reliance Jio on Musk’s allegations. Both outlets also note that the government’s response did not establish that any private company had influenced the approval process.
What Starlink says it has built
Lauren Dreyer, Starlink’s vice president of business operations, told the India Mobile Congress 2026 on October 7 that the company had invested in and built ground infrastructure in India, including 20 gateway sites equipped with hundreds of antennas, and had set up operations to begin providing services, ANI reported. She said Starlink had worked with Indian regulators, industry stakeholders and operators to adapt to the country’s requirements. The company’s position is that its India build is finished and waiting on spectrum.
Background: the donation reports
Musk also shared media reports about a Reliance-linked company’s political donations, Millat Times reported, including a 2022 Al Jazeera investigation into a Reliance-funded firm’s promotion of BJP campaigns on Facebook and an archived Indian Express report on electoral bond donations by Qwik Supply Chain Private Limited.
The outlet flags a discrepancy in that report: the headline cited donations of Rs 385 crore to the BJP, while the body, citing Election Commission of India data, stated Rs 395 crore to the BJP and Rs 25 crore to the Shiv Sena. A Reliance Industries spokesperson had previously said Qwik Supply Chain was not a subsidiary of any Reliance entity. Millat Times stresses that the reports concern donations and social media campaigning and do not, on their own, show that Ambani or Reliance acted to block Starlink’s entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Indian users’ data stored if Starlink launches?
Starlink Vice President of Business Operations Lauren Dreyer told the India Mobile Congress 2026 on October 7 that the company is keeping Indian users’ data inside the country, according to the ANI report carried by Lokmat Times. She said Starlink had also developed India-specific security controls.
Who was Rahul Gandhi referring to as “the other guy”?
Gandhi did not name anyone, Millat Times reported. The outlet said the remark was widely interpreted as a reference to industrialist Gautam Adani, whom Gandhi and the Congress have repeatedly accused of receiving favourable treatment, and noted those allegations are contested and separate from Starlink’s pending approvals.
What kind of satellite licence do the three operators hold in India?
The Ministry of Communications, quoted by ANI, said the licences went to three global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) providers using non-geosynchronous orbit systems. The ministry said each licensee must demonstrate compliance with prescribed security conditions before it can proceed.
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