Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of orchestrating the recent partnerships between Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Elon Musk’s Starlink, claiming the deals were aimed at currying favour with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter), questioning the swift changes in stance from both telecom giants, who had previously raised objections to Starlink’s entry into India.
“Within literally 12 hours, both Airtel and Jio have announced partnerships with Starlink, seemingly overcoming all their objections to its entry into India,” Ramesh wrote. “It is abundantly clear that these partnerships have been orchestrated by none other than the PM himself to buy goodwill with President Trump through Starlink’s owner Elon Musk.”
Ramesh further raised concerns over national security, questioning who would control connectivity in critical situations—Starlink or its Indian partners. He also inquired whether other satellite-based providers would be allowed to enter the Indian market under similar terms, and hinted at potential links between Starlink’s entry and Tesla’s plans for manufacturing in India, suggesting possible behind-the-scenes commitments.
On the other hand, Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal praised the partnership, calling it a significant step toward global connectivity. Mittal emphasized that the collaboration would help deliver seamless connectivity, even in remote areas like oceans and skies, and would support the telecom industry’s ongoing shift toward satellite technology, similar to the adoption of 4G, 5G, and 6G advancements.
