Congress's Manickam Tagore slammed the Centre over Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's meeting with SpaceX/Starlink execs. He alleged this showed favoritism to Elon Musk after a disputed high-level call that the government had denied.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Centre, targeting Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia over his recent meeting with Elon Musk's companies, just days after the government denied Musk's participation in a high-level diplomatic call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. The controversy erupted after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) recently clarified that a recent phone conversation was strictly between PM Modi and US President Trump, contradicting a The New York Times report that claimed Musk had also joined the discussion.
Tagore alleges 'Modi model' of governance
Reacting to the developments, Tagore shared a post on X, accusing the government of favouring billionaires and fast-tracking decisions behind closed doors. "Let's drop the pretence. When Elon Musk gets on a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, things don't "coincidentally" move -- they move fast," Tagore wrote. He went further, alleging that within days of such high-level interactions, executives from companies like SpaceX and Starlink were in India securing meetings and agreements. "Within days: Executives from SpaceX and Starlink are in India, meetings fixed, MoUs signed, red carpets rolled out. And Communication Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says it was a "pleasure." Of course it was," he further wrote. Tagore framed this as part of what he called the "Modi model" of governance: "Because this is the Modi model: One high-profile call, Immediate access, Instant policy movement, No consultation. No transparency. Just speed -- when it suits a select few," he added. "Ease of doing business for billionaires. Endless waiting rooms for everyone else," Tagore concluded.
The Backdrop: Scindia's meeting and MEA's denial
Tagore's remarks come after Scindia shared a post on X on Wednesday, in which he wrote, "It was a pleasure to meet Ms. Gwynne Shotwell, President & COO, @SpaceX, Ms. Lauren Dreyer, Vice President, Global Business, @Starlink and the India leadership team today."
MEA denies Musk's involvement in call
After this, Tagore's comments came in direct contrast to the MEA clarification, which denied Musk's involvement in the March 24 call. In a statement, the MEA said, "The telephone conversation on 24 March was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump only." The ministry added that the call focused on exchanging views regarding the situation in West Asia.
Meanwhile, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier described the interaction between Modi and Trump as "productive" and reiterated the strong relationship between the two leaders. (ANI)
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