NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday responded to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk‘s criticism over Starlink’s pending commercial launch in India, posting on X: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”Congress leader’s response came after Musk continued his tirade on the second day. In a recent post, he wrote: “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 Tesla and SpaceX chief quickly replied to the Congress leader, saying: “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”Musk had earlier alleged that Starlink was being blocked by “certain oligarchs” seeking to maintain a “monopolistic chokehold” over the Indian market.
What the government said
The Centre strongly rejected Musk’s allegations of discriminatory treatment, saying country’s regulatory framework for satellite communications is “fair and non-discriminatory”.
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The Ministry of Communications said three satellite communication operators have been granted licences and that all three are currently at broadly the same regulatory stage. Their security assessments are underway, and only after the required process is completed can a licensed entity proceed to seek spectrum assignment, the ministry said.The government described suggestions that the regulatory framework was being applied unfairly as “baseless and misconceived”, stressing that security compliance is mandatory for every satcom licensee to ensure the safety of users and their data.
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