Gora cant dictate India: Owaisi slams Elon Musk but asks why BJP is afraid of white skin

PTC Web Desk:  AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has never shied away from attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But when Elon Musk questioned who really runs India’s political and business decisions, Owaisi made one thing clear--- opposing the government does not mean letting a foreign businessman set the rules for the country.

How the controversy started

The controversy started with Elon Musk’s complaints about the delay in Starlink’s commercial launch in India. Musk, who owns SpaceX and Tesla, alleged that “oligarchs” were blocking his company’s entry to protect their own dominance. He also asked whether Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani was the “real boss of India.”

The government rejected the charge of unfair treatment. It said security checks were under way for all three licensed satellite communication players: Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite arm and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb. According to officials, all three are at roughly the same stage and none can start services until security clearances and spectrum approvals are complete.

Owaisi’s reaction

Speaking to mediapersons in Hyderabad on Thursday after AIMIM moved the Supreme Court over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Owaisi said he remains a critic of Narendra Modi but will not accept an outsider commenting on India’s leadership.

“We were always against Narendra Modi and will remain so. But how can Elon Musk write this kind of thing about our India’s Prime Minister?” he asked.

He then turned to the BJP. Why, he asked, does a party that talks so much about nationalism seem so nervous when a powerful foreign businessman challenges India’s decisions? “Why are the BJP and the Modi government so afraid of gorachamdi (white skin)?” he said.

'Will a white man dictate to us?'

Owaisi insisted that India alone should decide how its resources are used. “Will this white man sit and dictate to us?” he asked.

He also pointed to what he called double standards from the United States. Washington, he said, pushes India to cut Russian oil imports while continuing to buy Russian energy products itself. He added that India’s low data charges are reason enough to question the idea that the current system hurts ordinary users.

He urged the Prime Minister to show the same strong nationalism the BJP projects against domestic rivals and tell Elon Musk that India will take its own decisions. “You will not cut the stomach of a country’s citizens to fatten the stomach of some white man,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi takes a different route

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reacted differently. When Musk raised the Ambani question, Rahul posted on X: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”

He did not name anyone, but the line was widely read as a dig at industrialist Gautam Adani, whom Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have long accused of enjoying closeness to the Modi government. He backed the hint with an Instagram post showing Adani with Modi on a jet. Musk replied, “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”

Also Read | Musk vs India: Parliament Committee to study satellite Internet as Starlink debate heats up

Two opposition voices, two messages

The contrast is clear. Rahul Gandhi used Musk’s claims to revive the Congress charge that big business and political power are too close under the BJP. Owaisi, on the other hand, argued that criticising Modi and welcoming foreign pressure are two separate things.