The policies of the Modi government, shaped by the Hindutva ideology of the RSS and its engagement with right-wing politics and crony capitalist projects, have created conditions that enable figures like Elon Musk to comment on Indian affairs by calling Mukesh Ambani the unelected Prime Minister of India.
This is not merely an attack on the Modi government, on Mukesh Ambani, or on his corporate group. Both sets of corporations can compromise at any moment to protect each other's interests, so this is not simply inter-corporate rivalry over the Indian market. It reflects a broader pattern in India's external relations.
The Modi government's distancing from the Non-Aligned Movement in favour of a multi-alignment foreign policy runs parallel to the geopolitical requirements of American strategy, which designs an "Asian NATO" under the guise of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to contain China first and later India as well. The Congress Party made significant compromises in foreign policy and allowed the Union Carbide Corporation, its chairman and CEO Warren Anderson, to escape Indian legal accountability after the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Similarly, both the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and the Narendra Modi government further diluted the NAM and the independence of Indian foreign policy and compromised with the United States, as a result of which President Donald Trump pressures India into joining as a junior partner of American strategy. He threatens unfair tariffs on Indian trade to weaken the Indian economy by linking them to India's energy and security needs. Vice President J. D. Vance has described Indian professionals and workers as "foreign indentured servants."
Such remarks are not accidental. The targeting of India and Indians across the United States is not accidental. It reflects a systematic campaign by American corporations and their government to undermine India and the Indian state. Even terrorism in India is, on this account, scripted by the Pentagon and operationalised by the Pakistani armed forces at the cost of Indians and Pakistani people. Washington has consistently sided with anti-democratic and undemocratic forces across the world to pursue its strategic dominance and uphold its economic and political hegemony.
India does not belong to Modi and his Hindutva supporters who admire American right-wing forces. Musk is a leading figure of American reactionary politics. Modi even campaigned for Trump during elections. Yet despite all foreign policy concessions and compromises, the American ruling classes and their corporate allies are putting pressure on India and Indians in order to further open the Indian market to American corporations at the cost of India and Indians.
If the American Public Law 480 program, also known as Food for Peace, was designed to make India follow American foreign policy in the name of providing food, then the agricultural reforms proposed and withdrawn by the Modi government were designed to restructure Indian agriculture in ways that would benefit American corporations. American foreign policy has consistently sought to shape and limit India's economic growth and development. BJP governments create the conditions that facilitate American pressure on India and Indians.
The Modi government has already approved and provided licences to Musk's Starlink, and spectrum allocation will take place only after security clearance. However, Musk is eager to begin its Indian operation and capture the Indian market in the name of supplying uninterrupted internet without addressing Indian security concerns. Besides security concerns, there are other significant problems with Starlink. It is not suitable for Indian topography, as the system is not weatherproof.
Heavy rain, storms and other weather disruptions temporarily block or reduce signal frequency, resulting in a 35 per cent reduction in download speeds, audio and video lags and call drops. It does not work well in snow-covered and forest-covered areas or in urban areas with high-rises. Orbital hazards, risks and geopolitical security concerns make Starlink unreliable in the Indian context. It is also expensive and not suitable for Indian consumer interests.
The wars in Iran and Ukraine show that Starlink functions as a tool of American strategy. It is therefore not suitable for India and Indians. It can exert pressure on India and Indians while accessing the Indian market. Starlink is converting space into a junkyard for its satellites, and astronomers are critical of and concerned about Starlink satellites. In this context, the Indian government must take a cautious call on Elon Musk's Starlink entry into India.
American foreign policy pressures on India and Indians, from food security and the steel industry to information technology, led to the rise of the Green Revolution for India's food security. The growth of the steel industry and the information technology industry is also remarkable amidst American embargoes. As the American ruling classes and their corporate owners put pressure on India and Indians, it is time for an independent scientific revolution for self-reliance to reduce India's dependence on the United States.
It can begin immediately with a clear foreign policy direction that sends a direct message that India and Indians are peace-loving global citizens and will not surrender before American strategists and their corporations. Will the Modi government have the courage to pursue a dream for Indians and India beyond the Ambanis, Adanis and Musks of the world?
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*Academic based in UK
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