Oppn parties raise questions over Starlink's deal

Question the now-deleted post on 'X' by Minister of Information and Technology

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Opposition parties have questioned the now-deleted post on 'X' by Minister of Information and Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, welcoming Starlink to India.

Vaishnaw took to Elon Musk-owned microblogging platform X to welcome his satellite internet service to India after Airtel and Jio announced that they were signing deals for the same. The minister, however, deleted the post, leaving social media users and Opposition leaders questioning, "Why did IT minister delete his tweet?"

"Starlink, welcome to India!" wrote the minister, who also holds the Railways portfolio, on X. He added, "It will be useful for railway projects in remote areas." While the tweet has been deleted, its screenshots are widely circulating on social media.

Leaders from Congress, Trinamool Congress and other Opposition parties shared a screenshot of the now-deleted post to question if it meant that the Indian government's approval, which is still pending, is guaranteed.

Trinamool MP Saket Gokhle questioned if Elon Musk has paid the BJP to get the approval.

He wrote, "Elon Musk's Starlink has not yet gotten govt approval. It also has not been allotted any satellite spectrum. But the tweet by @Ashwini Vaishnaw CLEARLY shows that spineless PM Modi is going to bend over backwards for Trump & Elon Musk.