Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Deletes X Post Welcoming Starlink to India

Vaishnaw's post on X had led to conjecture on whether this was indication that the government had indeed given permission to Starlink to start operations.

The Wire Staff

Vaishnaw's post on X had led to conjecture on whether this was indication that the government had indeed given permission to Starlink to start operations.

minister ashwini vaishnaw deletes x post welcoming starlink to india

Ashwini Vaishnaw. Photo: Sansad TV/PTI.

New Delhi: Union minister for, among other things, information and broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, appears to have deleted a post on X with which he welcomed Elon Musk's 'Starlink'.

Vaishnaw had posted "Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects."

A day ago, within a span of 24 hours, telecom rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel both announced deals with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink’s internet services to India.

Both deals are conditional upon Starlink obtaining government authorisation to begin operations in the country.

Vaishnaw's post on X had led to conjecture on whether this was indication that the government had indeed given permission to Starlink to start operations or given satellite spectrum. Its deletion indicates authorisation has not arrived yet. Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale asked, "How much is the BJP getting from Elon Musk? What is Modi getting in return for meekly selling out our country to the US establishment? Help with elections?"

There are concerns over monopolisation, with two of the biggest telecom providers teaming up with Starlink. Many have pointed to dashed self-reliance dreams in this regard.

The announcements also led to questions about the absence of parliamentary or public debate on these deals.

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