Musk escalates attack on Ambani over Starlink delays

New Delhi: Elon Musk intensified his criticism of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on Saturday, sharing media reports that alleged a Reliance-funded firm had boosted the BJP campaigns on social media and that a Reliance-linked company had made large political donations to India’s ruling party.In a post on X, Musk featured an Al Jazeera report from 2022 titled “How a Reliance-funded firm boosts BJP’s campaigns on Facebook” and an archived Indian Express report from 2024 on Reliance-linked Qwik Supply. The latter stated that the firm donated ₹385 crore to the BJP and ₹25 crore to the Shiv Sena through electoral bonds.The posts came amid Musk’s sharp criticism of delays in getting approvals for launching Starlink satellite internet services in India.Earlier, Musk had addressed the Reliance Industries chairman as "Prime Minister Ambani" and accused him of protecting a monopoly.Elon Musk shares reports of Reliance-backed firms’ donations to BJP, addresses Ambani as Prime Minister"Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India. Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?" Musk wrote.He argued that many areas of India lack internet access, denying children education and small businesses global market opportunities, and that Starlink could transform lives. Reliance has not publicly responded. The government has maintained that its authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services is "fair and non-discriminatory", rejecting any suggestion of selective application.On Friday, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asserted that India does not permit monopolies in any sector.He said three players — Starlink, Reliance Jio’s Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb — have received satcom licences and can begin operations after meeting security requirements and milestones. Musk’s remarks came as the India Mobile Congress unfolded in Delhi. He has previously claimed Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with Indian requirements, questioning the continued delay.

Source: Deccan Herald