Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey has responded to SpaceX chief Elon Musk over Starlink’s proposed entry into India, raising concerns about national security and asserting that the country would not change its policies under pressure.
In a post on X, Dubey said a parliamentary committee had examined the challenges Starlink could pose to Indian security agencies. He referred to concerns raised by the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs and investigative agencies.
संसदीय समिति के अध्यक्ष होने के नाते हमारी कमिटि ने देश की सुरक्षा एजेंसियों के समक्ष आने वाले चुनौतियों को @elonmusk के स्टार लिंक से समझा है,रक्षा मंत्रालय,गृह मंत्रालय,हमारी जॉंच एजेंसी इन खतरों के ख़तरनाक खेल से प्रभावित हो रही है ।2013-14 में मनमोहन सिंह जी की सरकार ने @TRAI को इन खतरों की जानकारी दी थी ।पहले अपने देश अमेरिका में तो गरीब को सस्ते दामों पर कनेक्शन दे दीजिए,फिर आरोप प्रत्यारोप लगाइए,भारत एक स्वस्थ लोकतांत्रिक,संप्रभु राष्ट्र है,दबाव और सोशल मिडिया से अपनी सुरक्षा नीति नहीं बदलता है ।पैसे पर हमारी नीति चलती तो आपको सुरक्षा एजेंसियों के विरोध के बावजूद रेड कार्पेट वेलकम करते,आप तो अमेरिका से लेकर ब्रिटेन तक राजनीतिक दलों को सहयोग से भी ज़्यादा सहयोग करते हैं?
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) October 11, 2026
“India is a healthy democratic, sovereign nation; it does not change its security policy under pressure or social media,” Dubey said. He also claimed that the government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had alerted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to satellite communication threats in 2013-14.
Dubey urged Musk to provide affordable internet connections to poorer communities in the United States before criticising India’s approach. He added that commercial interests would not override national security considerations.
The remarks followed Musk’s criticism of what he described as efforts by influential business interests to delay Starlink’s launch in India.
Musk argued that greater competition in the satellite internet market would offer consumers more choices and challenged claims that Starlink could not compete with established Indian providers.
Starlink, Reliance Jio Satcom and Bharti Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb have received satellite communication licences. However, commercial operations depend on meeting security requirements and other regulatory conditions.
The dispute has raised questions about competition, spectrum allocation, affordability and safeguards for national security.
The government has maintained that service providers must complete the required approvals before launching commercial operations.
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