New Delhi: Billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday (October 8) doubled down on his allegation against the Indian government’s blockade of his satellite internet company Starlink, asking if “Ambani” – meaning Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani – was “the real boss of India”. Earlier, in a post on his owned social media platform, X, he alleged he was being blocked by “certain oligarchs” whereas it could “help the least-served” in India, an allegation that was subsequently denied by the Ministry of Communications. However, the Ministry didn’t name Starlink in its statement.“Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?” Musk asked in an X post on Thursday, sharing investors’ opinions and a news article about his previous statement.Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license?Is Ambani the real boss of India?— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2026Soon after his latest post, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi responded to it saying, “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.” Gandhi did not name who the other guy was, but his remarks appeared to allude to industrialist Gautam Adani, whose business interests the Congress MP has repeatedly alleged are closely linked with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.Musk responded to Gandhi, saying, “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”Thank you, Rahul.This is indeed troubling.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2026Ministry’s oblique clarificationEarlier in the day, the Union communications ministry issued a statement without naming Musk, saying that the allegation that the authorisation framework for telecommunication services is unfair or discriminatory, is “baseless and misconceived.”“A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services. Under this, telecom licences have been granted to three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services based on non-geosynchronous satellite orbit based satellite communications, as part of its commitment to enable provision of satellite communication services in India,” said the Ministry of Communications in its statement.The statement added that under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions and this is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data.“Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum. At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” the statement added.The ministry’s statement had come after Musk, late Wednesday posted on X: “Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are … This is a crime against the people of India!”Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are …This is a crime against the people of India!— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2026In another post, he had added, “Starlink in India would enable high-speed, affordable Internet connectivity for those who can’t afford current prices or who don’t have a connection at all!”The Wire had previously reported that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government had directed state governments that have entered into agreements with Musk-owned Starlink to stop discussions and projects involving the satellite internet company until it secures the required licence to operate in India.