"Going Left or Right?": Scindia Takes Aim at Congress Over Starlink Row

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday accused the Congress of shifting its position on Starlink’s entry into India, responding to an exchange between Rahul Gandhi and SpaceX chief Elon Musk over the satellite internet service’s regulatory hurdles.

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi, Scindia said the government’s policy was clear and that three companies had already been granted licences.

“As far as the Congress party is concerned, I don’t understand. I don’t think they themselves know whether they are going left or right,” he said.

Scindia alleged that the Congress had initially objected to a particular person receiving a licence but was now siding with that person over complaints about the approval process.

“They first had a problem initially with a certain person getting a license,” he said. “Now they have a problem, and they have allied with that person in terms of why he’s not getting the license.”

LICENCES, SPECTRUM AND SECURITY CONDITIONS

Scindia said spectrum would be assigned once the government finalised the revenue-based charging framework. Each company would also have to meet the prescribed security conditions before starting operations.

“There are three parties that have got a license,” he said, adding that they could begin services after spectrum allocation and individual compliance with security requirements.

His remarks drew a distinction between holding a licence and completing the requirements needed to offer services.

THE GANDHI–MUSK EXCHANGE

The controversy followed an exchange on X over Musk’s claim that Starlink had been unable to secure a licence despite complying with Indian laws and requirements for five years.

“Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy,” Gandhi wrote in response.

Musk replied: “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”

The exchange fuelled debate over Starlink’s efforts to enter India and Musk’s allegations that vested interests were obstructing the company’s entry.

Earlier on Friday, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram defended Gandhi’s response, saying its sarcasm was intended to highlight what he described as the central government’s encouragement of “monopolies and oligarchy”.

“Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s comment is very subtle, laced with great sarcasm, and unfortunately, that’s been lost on most people,” Chidambaram told ANI.

He said Gandhi was drawing attention to the influence certain corporate entities exercised over government policy.

With inputs from ANI