Influential Hindu group urges India to block Starlink amid Musk-Ambani feud
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The Starlink logo is seen in front of the Indian flag in this illustration taken, June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
By Munsif Vengattil
BENGALURU, Oct 13 (Reuters) - An influential Hindu nationalist group close to India's ruling party urged the government on Tuesday to block Elon Musk's Starlink from launching satellite internet services in the country, citing national security concerns.
Starlink's four-year wait to launch in India has come under renewed scrutiny after Musk last week accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and billionaire Mukesh Ambani of stalling its entry to favour Ambani's Reliance Jio.
India's communications ministry said last week that security assessments were under way for Starlink and rival satellite ventures backed by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. It described suggestions the approval process was unfair or discriminatory as "baseless and misconceived".
The call for Starlink's ban came from Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organisation that is the ideological parent of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
SJM also linked its demand to trade tensions with the US. If Washington imposes high tariffs on Indian imports "in the name of national security, then India is certainly within its rights to block Starlink based on its genuine national security concerns," national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said in a statement.
Starlink's technology could make it difficult for authorities to restrict internet services during security emergencies and ensure Indian internet traffic passes through domestic infrastructure, Mahajan added.
SJM has influenced Indian policy in recent years, notably pushing for rules to protect small traders from US-owned e-commerce firms Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart.
SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
MARKET WITH MORE THAN A BILLION INTERNET USERS
Starlink is seeking to launch in a country with more than a billion internet subscribers. Alongside Starlink, satellite ventures backed by Reliance Jio and Bharti are awaiting final clearances to begin services.
Musk has repeatedly taunted Ambani on X, questioning why Starlink still lacked a licence despite what he said were years of compliance with Indian requirements.
"Is Ambani the real boss of India?" he posted last week, as he accused the rival billionaire of stalling Starlink's entry.
(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru. Editing by Mark Potter)
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