SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
New Delhi: After Elon Musk asked whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is the “real boss” of India amid a controversy over Starlink satellite internet services, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, October 9, told the US business tycoon to “wait till you discover the other guy.”
The Indian government rejected allegations that domestic business interests were blocking Starlink’s satellite internet services, leading Musk to ask if “Ambani is the real boss of India”.
In a cryptic post on X, Gandhi said, “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha responded to Musk after Musk posted on X, saying, “Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license?”
“Is Ambani the real boss of India?” the US business tycoon asked.
Musk later thanked Gandhi for his response. “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling,” Musk said in response to Gandhi’s post.
The government, earlier in the day, slammed the US business tycoon over his allegations that Starlink’s satcom services are being blocked, and made it clear that demonstrating compliance with security norms is an absolute must for every satcom licensee in the country.
The government has licensed three companies – Musk’s Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb – but none can begin commercial services until required security assessments and spectrum-related approvals are completed.
“Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees,” the telecom ministry said in a statement.
Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the issue was with the Ministry of Home Affairs and was not specific to any one company.
“The Department of Telecom has issued licences to all satcom companies as well as provisional spectrum. Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company,” Pemmasani told reporters on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress.
The comments came a day after Musk alleged on X that “certain oligarchs” were blocking Starlink to protect a “monopolistic chokehold” on the Indian market. He did not identify any company.
SOURCE : SIASAT
