Politics · India
Elon Musk Accuses Ambani, BJP of Blocking Starlink Launch
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has publicly accused Mukesh Ambani and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of obstructing the launch of Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service, in India. Musk alleged that powerful business interests are protecting existing telecom operators and shared reports linking Reliance, a company led by Ambani, to BJP campaigns and donations. He also posted a mock exchange with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing Ambani as "Prime Minister Ambani" and apologizing for the delay. In response, actor and politician Kamal Haasan stated that India is a democracy, not a colony, and questioned Musk's remarks. Zoho Co-Founder Sridhar Vembu also challenged Musk's claims about license hurdles.
How outlets across the spectrum covered it
L 3 C 10 R 5
- Left (3): National Herald, Scroll.in, The News Minute
- Centre (10): Business Standard, Deccan Herald, Mathrubhumi English, NDTV, Outlook India, The Economic Times, The Lallantop, The New Indian Express, The Statesman, The Tribune
- Right (5): OpIndia, Republic World, The Commune, Times Now, Zee News (Hindi)
- International (6): Business Insider, CBC News, NBC News, The Atlantic, The New York Times, USA Today