Why does the RSS’s economic wing want Starlink blocked?

Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), urged the government on October 13 to block Elon Musk’s Starlink from launching satellite internet services in India, saying its technology could prevent authorities from restricting internet services during emergencies and ensuring that Indian traffic stays on domestic infrastructure, Reuters reported. Starlink’s licence already requires it to meet both conditions, but India cannot independently verify parts of its compliance because they depend on what happens in orbit.

Can India verify that Starlink follows its licence conditions?

India’s regulators can inspect what happens at gateways on the ground but cannot independently verify what happens in orbit, the Takshashila Institution said in an April report. Starlink’s licence bars it from routing Indian traffic through inter-satellite links, even if an Indian gateway fails. However, ground-based monitoring cannot reliably detect whether traffic has passed through those links, the report said. Starlink’s commitment not to copy or decrypt Indian users’ data abroad rests on a written undertaking.

“Starlink poses significant risks to India: it can deny connectivity when India needs it, or keep services active when India wants them shut down,” the report said. These risks exist with all foreign satellite services but are more pronounced with Starlink because of its technical lead and Musk’s influence in the US government, it added. India can only penalise violations after the fact, for example, by revoking a licence.

he report flagged three more gaps:

No monitoring facility yet: Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced a Rs 900 crore National SATCOM Monitoring Facility in October 2025, but it had not started operating as of April 2026.
AI training on user data: Starlink updated its global privacy policy in January 2026 to allow customer data, including location and communication information, to be used to train AI models. Users are opted in by default.
Direct-to-device services: The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) rejected Starlink’s second-generation satellites, which can connect directly to phones, in January 2026. Such services could bypass gateway-based conditions altogether, the report said. Starlink has since reapplied.

The report recommended that India discourage the general retail use of Starlink and prioritise satellite providers that offer joint ventures or equity to Indian entities.

Has Starlink worked in India despite restrictions?

Security forces recovered a Starlink device from a militant camp in Manipur. Musk said Starlink’s beams were turned off over India, but security officials told The Guardian that the devices worked in parts of Manipur near the Myanmar border. Separately, smugglers used a Starlink device to navigate a $4.25 billion meth shipment into Indian waters near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to the Takshashila report, Starlink declined Andaman police’s request for user details, citing data privacy laws.

What do Starlink’s licence conditions require?

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) imposed additional security conditions on satellite internet providers in May 2025. Starlink agreed to them before receiving its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence on June 6, 2025. The conditions require:

Indian gateways: No traffic to or from India may be routed through gateways outside India. Operators must keep their traffic monitoring and control centres in India and provide domain name system (DNS) services from within the country.
Service suspension: Operators must restrict services for individuals, groups or areas during hostilities or when directed to do so by law enforcement agencies.
Border monitoring: Operators must set up special monitoring zones within 50 km of international borders and 200 nautical miles of coastal borders. Websites blocked in India must remain blocked on satellite services.
Undertakings: Operators must undertake not to copy or decrypt Indian users’ data outside India and confirm that no surveillance can be carried out through their satellite constellations.
Local manufacturing: Operators must indigenise at least 20% of their ground segment within five years of commercial launch.

Starlink executive Lauren Dreyer said at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 that the company had set up 20 gateway sites in India and built its operations to meet Indian security requirements.

Why did SJM link Starlink to US tariffs?

SJM national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan linked the demand to trade tensions with the US. “If Washington imposes high tariffs on Indian imports in the name of national security, then India is certainly within its rights to block Starlink based on its genuine national security concerns,” he said.

The demand follows Musk’s posts last week accusing “oligarchs” of blocking Starlink’s launch and asking whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani was “the real boss of India.” SpaceX did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Who decides on Starlink’s launch?

Scindia said on October 9 that Starlink, Jio’s satellite arm and Eutelsat OneWeb could launch only after each had separately met the security conditions. He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would make that decision. The Ministry of Communications called suggestions that the process was unfair or discriminatory “baseless and misconceived.”

Spectrum pricing also remains pending. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended in May 2025 that satellite operators pay 4% of adjusted gross revenue as spectrum charges, but the DoT has not finalised the charges.

Has SJM shaped tech policy before?

SJM has pushed for rules to protect small traders from Amazon and Flipkart, Reuters noted. The RSS is the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

What remains unclear?

Whether the MHA has found Starlink or either of the other two licensees non-compliant with security conditions
How India will verify compliance with conditions such as traffic routing, which depends on what happens in orbit
When the National SATCOM Monitoring Facility will start operating
Whether the government will respond to SJM’s demand or to its proposal to link Starlink’s approval to US tariffs