BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, has reacted to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's criticism of India over the delay in the introduction of Starlink's satellite communication in the country. He hit out at Musk, asking him to provide connections to poor residents of the United States first before levelling allegations.

Flagging potential security challenges, Dubey said, "As the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee, our committee has understood the challenges facing the country's security agencies through Elon Musk's Starlink. The Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and our investigation agencies are being affected by the dangerous games of these threats."

He highlighted the former Congress government's stand on these threats, saying that the PM Manmohan Singh-led government had informed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) about these threats.

"First, provide connections to the poor in your own country, America, at affordable rates, and then level accusations—India is a healthy democratic, sovereign nation; it does not change its security policy under pressure or social media," Dubey added.

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Musk's oligarch allegations, then attack on Ambani 

The controversy erupted after Musk on Wednesday claimed that 'certain oligarchs' were preventing Starlink's entry into the Indian satellite communication industry. The statement drew a reaction from India, which categorically rejected the allegations as baseless and misconceived.

However, Musk doubled down on his claim with a direct attack on Reliance Telecom Group, asking, "Is Ambani the real boss of India?" 

Reacting to India’s position, Musk questioned why Starlink had not yet received an operational licence in India despite being licensed in more than 165 countries.

"Starlink is licensed in more than 165 countries and has spent five years complying with all the laws and provisions of the Indian government, so why hasn't it received a license yet?" Musk wrote on X.

The controversy turned political after Lok Sabha LoP jumped into it with an X post. Gandhi replied to him, writing, "Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy."

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Wants India To Give Starlink Green Light, But His Own Grok AI Lists Why It Could Be Risky

Gandhi’s post got a ‘Thank you’ reply from Musk. However, Musk’s attack on Ambani didn’t stop, as in another post, he quipped, calling Ambani the Prime Minister of India.

"Dear Prime Minister Ambani, please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India. Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete? There are many areas of India, as there are in all countries, with no Internet access, which denies children the opportunity for education and for small businesses the opportunity to sell their goods to a global market. Starlink would change their lives for the better," Musk's X post read.