Rahul Gandhi’s tweet on X, welcoming Elon Musk and critiquing the delay in Starlink’s commercial launch, set the stage for a political backlash.
Musk responded with a terse “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling,” sparking a quick exchange that politicians seized on.
Bhandari seized the moment, touting a supposed April‑2026 statement that the government favored a foreign billionaire, contrasting it with an October‑2026 stance that the government was not favoring one. He accused Gandhi of abandoning national interest whenever convenient. Shergill echoed the sentiment, calling the Congress position “odd” and “disconnected.”
Starlink has a licence but still must clear security and spectrum approvals, a process that applies equally to Indian operators like Reliance Jio and Eutelsat OneWeb. The centre has denied any special blocking of the service.
The BJP attack precedes a parliamentary debate scheduled for Dec 5, 2026, where lawmakers will examine the framework for foreign satellite‑internet players and the role of security clearances.