Influential Hindu group urges India to block Starlink amid Musk-Ambani feud
“An influential Hindu nationalist group close to India's ruling party urged the government on Tuesday to block Elon Musk's Starlink from launching satellite internet services in the country, citing na…”
Starlink's four-year wait to launch in India has come under renewed scrutiny after Musk last week accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and billionaire Mukesh Ambani of stalling its entry to favour Ambani's Reliance Jio. India's communications ministry said last week thatsecurity assessmentswere under way for Starlink and rival satellite ventures backed by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.
It described suggestions that the approval process was unfair or discriminatory as "baseless and misconceived". Read:Satellite internet plan in final stage. The call for Starlink's ban came from Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organisation that is the ideological parent of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
SJM also linked its demand to trade tensions with the US. If Washington imposeshigh tariffs on Indian imports"in the name of national security, then India is certainly within its rights to block Starlink based on its genuine national security concerns", national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said in a statement.
"Stay connected with Aman-e-Pakistan for ongoing live reporting and verified investigative updates."
Mahajan added that Starlink's technology could make it difficult for authorities to restrict internet services during security emergencies and ensure Indian internet traffic passes through domestic infrastructure. SJM has influenced Indian policy in recent years, notably pushing for rules to protect small traders from US-owned e-commerce firms Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart.
SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Market with more than a billion internet users. Starlink is seeking to launch in a country with more than a billion internet subscribers.
Alongside Starlink, satellite ventures backed by Reliance Jio and Bharti are awaiting final clearances to begin services. Musk has repeatedly taunted Ambani on X, questioning why Starlink still lacked a licence despite what he said were years of compliance with Indian requirements.
"Is Ambani the real boss of India? " he posted last week, as he accused the rival billionaire of stalling Starlink's entry. Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing 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…— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)October 9, 2026
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