New Delhi: Well-known cine star-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Friday took on American businessman Elon Musk, strongly defending India’s choice based on national interest and security safeguards as “non-negotiable” on the billionaire’s “why still no license?” allegation on his satellite communications company, Starlink, launch delay here.
“Mr Musk, yes, no billionaire should dictate a nation’s policy – Indian or American,” stoutly stated Haasan, a Rajya Sabha MP.
On Thursday, taking to the social media platform X, which he owns, Musk wrote, “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?”
Haasan, founder of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in Tamil Nadu, categorically pointed out in his own post on the same platform that while India must welcome competition in satellite internet, whether from within the country or outside, at “the most practical and affordable last-mile solution for those in remote regions”, it should also be affordable.
“High subscription fees and equipment costs risk putting it beyond the reach of ordinary households. Connectivity must bridge the digital divide, not create a new one,” the actor noted. “India knows our networks and spectrum are strategic infrastructure, not merely commercial assets. India’s national security safeguards are non-negotiable,” he asserted.
He further emphasised that every country makes choices based on its own interests, and “Those in the West cannot preach free markets while practising protectionism at home”.
Pointing out that just as the USA imposed 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect its domestic industry, India too takes measures to safeguard domestic manufacturers. “Both India and the US have restricted Huawei over security concerns. One cannot demand a level playing field from others only when it suits its own agenda,” he added.
China’s Huawei company specialises in telecommunications, consumer electronics, and ICT solutions, producing a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops, among other products.
Haasan also mentioned BharatNet, a government project launched in 2011 to provide high speed broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats through optical fibre, making it the world’s largest rural broadband initiative.
“India’s programme to bring broadband to village-level local bodies,” he posted, adding, “We will question why, as the CAG’s 2026 audit report found, the programme is struggling to meet its original objectives. Why were only 33.2% of service-ready Gram Panchayats operational, despite Rs 39,888 crore being spent? At the same time, we know to appreciate our telecom sector and regulations, which have made internet data among the world’s most affordable, bringing millions online.”
Underscoring that India is a democracy, and “not a colony”, he ended his post with a strong assertion of “We welcome the world, but we, the Indian people, will decide our own future – not Western vested interests, their double standards or any billionaire – Indian or American”.
(IANS)
