SRINAGAR: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly opposed the Union government’s decision to permit Elon Musk’s Starlink to begin operations in India, citing serious concerns over national security, digital sovereignty, and the weakening of India’s public sector telecom infrastructure.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau criticised the Narendra Modi-led government for a non-transparent process in granting operational permission to the satellite internet provider, a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX. The party accused the Centre of “handing over India’s critical infrastructure to foreign hands” and warned of the “backdoor access to US agencies” that the move allegedly enables.
“There is no transparency in the entire process of how Starlink was accorded permission to operate in our country,” the CPI(M) said. “Starlink is a foreign corporation, and this decision has serious security implications.”
The party warned that once Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite spots are allocated to Starlink, they cannot be reclaimed, effectively ceding limited national space resources to a private foreign entity. “This is giving up our scarce space resources to foreign entities, in the process sacrificing our country’s interests,” the statement read.
The CPI(M) criticised the government for bypassing domestic alternatives like ISRO, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), which, the party said, can develop indigenous satellite communication technologies. “These measures would have strengthened Indian public sector and also safeguarded our security and digital sovereignty,” the statement added.
The party also flagged possible financial losses to the public exchequer, claiming that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was charging only a 4 per cent spectrum usage fee from Starlink, with no upfront charges. It also questioned the role of In-SPACe, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, noting that the details of regulatory permissions had not been made public.
Further, the CPI(M) expressed concern over Starlink’s reported tie-ups with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, saying it would result in a virtual duopoly in the telecom sector, leaving the state-run BSNL struggling to survive. “This is going to be the government’s yet another attempt to finish off the BSNL, which provides cheap telecom and internet services to almost all parts of the country,” the statement said.
Calling the entire deal “shrouded in mystery”, the CPI(M) demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw its permission to Starlink in order to protect the interests of the country, preserve public sector institutions, and uphold India’s digital autonomy.
