NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, briefly posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) welcoming Elon Muskโs satellite internet service, Starlink, to India, only to delete it shortly thereafter. The now-removed post read: โStarlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects.โ
Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, previously faced regulatory hurdles in India. In 2021, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) advised the company to refrain from accepting pre-orders and rendering satellite internet services without obtaining the necessary licenses. Consequently, Starlink halted its operations in India and refunded pre-orders to comply with governmental directives.
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The abrupt deletion of Minister Vaishnawโs tweet has led to conjecture about possible external pressures influencing Indiaโs stance on Starlink. Some observers question whether diplomatic or corporate lobbying efforts, potentially from Elon Musk, played a role in the ministerโs brief endorsement and subsequent retraction. However, no concrete evidence has surfaced to substantiate these claims.
Elon Muskโs Contentious Relationship with Indian Political Entities
Elon Muskโs management of X has been a subject of debate in India. There have been allegations that the platform reduced the visibility of accounts associated with various Indian political figures and parties, including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian National Congress (INC), and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Notably, posts containing political speeches from these parties were removed following directives from the Election Commission of India, citing violations of the model code of conduct.
Political Reactions and Public Discourse
The incident has ignited discussions across political circles and social media platforms. Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament, Saket Gokhale, criticized the governmentโs ambiguous stance, questioning the propriety of the ministerโs premature welcome to Starlink without formal approvals.
๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ!
Indiaโs IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted saying โStarlink, welcome to Indiaโ & then DELETED his tweet.
Elon Muskโs Starlink has not yet gotten govt approval. It also has not been allotted any satellite spectrum.
But the tweet byโฆ pic.twitter.com/H6kBsLLjLG
โ Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) March 13, 2025
He remarked, โElon Muskโs Starlink has not yet gotten government approval. It also has not been allotted any satellite spectrum.โ
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As of now, Starlink has not secured the requisite licenses to operate in India. The deleted tweet has neither been officially addressed by Minister Vaishnaw nor has the government provided clarification on the matter. The episode underscores the complexities involved in integrating global satellite internet services within Indiaโs regulatory framework and the need for transparent communication from public officials.
