RSS-affiliated SJM urges PM Modi to deny Starlink permission in India
The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deny operating permission to SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink, in India. The demand follows a protest march led by SJM members.
In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, SJM national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan questioned Starlink’s readiness to meet India’s regulatory requirements. “It’s unfortunate that instead of responding to clarifications sought from his company, on national security grounds, Shri Elon Musk has chosen to make allegations on Indian businesses and the government indirectly,” Mr. Mahajan said. “It appears that Starlink is perhaps not prepared to meet those specific requirements. Consequently, it seems Elon Musk is either attempting to secure the license by creating public pressure against the government or is making these statements out of frustration.”
Mr. Mahajan said India must develop its own satellite internet infrastructure for commercial and strategic reasons. “A constellation of communication satellites, developed through India’s efforts, is currently operational,” he said, in an apparent reference to OneWeb, in which the Bharti Group is an investor.
The SJM’s letter comes as the Union government has yet to approve requests from three companies for spectrum allotment to launch satellite broadband operations. The applicants are OneWeb India Communications Private Limited, Jio Satellite Communications Limited and Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited. Spectrum allotment is a key regulatory step because satellite broadband services need radio frequencies to operate.
SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk had earlier accused Reliance Industries Ltd. of trying to block Starlink’s entry into the Indian market. Reliance has denied the allegation. The Ministry of Communications has said all three applications remain at the same regulatory stage.
In the memorandum, Mr. Mahajan urged the government to block permission for Starlink to roll out commercial satellite broadband services. He argued that such a step would send a message to trade partners such as the United States. If Washington can restrict Indian imports, including handicraft products, through high tariffs in the name of national security, he wrote, India is within its rights to block Starlink on genuine national security grounds.
The demand adds to the debate over how India should regulate foreign satellite internet providers while protecting domestic strategic interests. Starlink, OneWeb and Jio Satellite are seeking to offer broadband services through satellite networks, a sector that can reach areas where terrestrial internet links are difficult to build.
The SJM is an affiliate of the RSS, the ideological parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Its intervention is significant because it comes while the government is weighing spectrum allotment for the three applicants. No decision on the three applications has been announced.
