Musk Revives Ambani Feud With Reports On Reliance Funding Of BJP

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk intensified his criticism of billionaire Mukesh Ambani on October 10, sharing reports alleging links between Reliance-associated entities and political donations and campaigning, a day after accusing Ambani of seeking to protect a monopoly by delaying Starlink’s entry into India.

Himself known for trying to influence and funnel millions of dollars in US campaigns and candidates that support President Donald Trump, Mush is now aiming at a fellow billionaire who media reports have said, does the same.

On October 11, Musk took aim at people defending Ambani who argued that Starlink could not compete with Reliance Jio’s low prices while also describing it as a strong competitor.

Musk said competition would give Indian consumers more choices. Even if Reliance’s profits fell, he argued, the company would remain in business. If Starlink’s services were too expensive, customers would not buy them, forcing SpaceX to offer affordable prices.

On October 10, Musk shared two reports concerning political funding. One was a 2022 Al Jazeera report that a Reliance-funded firm helped boost BJP campaigns on Facebook. The other was an archived 2024 Indian Express report on Qwik Supply, which reported that the Reliance-linked company donated Rs. 385 crore to the BJP and Rs. 25 crore to the Shiv Sena through electoral bonds. These were allegations reported in the publications Musk shared.

The criticism followed Musk’s October 9 post on X, in which he sarcastically addressed Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” and questioned whether he would allow Starlink to compete in India.

“Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India,” Musk posted.

“Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?” he added.

Musk said Starlink could bring internet access to areas with limited connectivity, helping children with education and small businesses reach global markets. He also said the service could save lives during natural disasters when other communication systems fail.

Musk had earlier accused unnamed “oligarchs” of blocking Starlink’s entry to protect their position in India’s telecommunications market. He also questioned why the company had not received final approvals despite spending five years complying with Indian laws and regulations.

The Indian government has rejected claims that Starlink is being treated unfairly, saying the country’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services is fair and non-discriminatory.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on October 9 that India does not permit [complete the sentence with the minister’s full statement, which is missing from the supplied text].

Starlink has secured a license for satellite communication services in India but still needs security clearances and other approvals before it can begin commercial operations. The government has described claims that the rules are being applied selectively as “baseless and misconceived.”

Reliance had not publicly responded to Musk’s allegations as of the reports. (With IANS )