India's satellite-broadband race has turned into a three-way political scrap. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the influential RSS, has formally urged the government in New Delhi to block SpaceX's Starlink, citing national security risks — while Sunil Bharti Mittal claims his Eutelsat OneWeb venture has been waiting in the licence queue since five years before Starlink bothered to apply.

The SJM made its call on October 15, 2026. It argued that satellite internet poses a specific security problem: India would struggle to restrict access during emergencies. That's a practical objection, not a nationalist slogan, and it lands on a government already fielding accusations from Elon Musk.

Musk has claimed Prime Minister Modi's government and Mukesh Ambani — chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, parent of Jio — are stalling Starlink's approvals to protect Reliance Jio's interests. So the timeline now reads: Musk accuses the government of favouritism, and an RSS-aligned body responds by demanding his service be kept out entirely. Convenient, that.

Who is actually pressuring whom?

The RSS, led by Mohan Bhagwat, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation closely aligned with the ruling BJP. When its economic wing takes a public position on a foreign operator, that position carries political weight well beyond a typical lobby group's press release.

SJM co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan also linked the call to possible US tariffs, arguing India can act on its own security grounds regardless of trade pressure. That framing matters: it pre-empts any suggestion that blocking Starlink would invite retaliation from Washington.

The government, for its part, has reportedly said its assessments of Starlink and its satellite rivals remain fair and ongoing. Neither side appears to be rushing.

Where does OneWeb stand?

Mittal, addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 on Wednesday October 14, put his own venture at the front of the line. "Eutelsat OneWeb had applied for a licence in India five years ago," he said, adding that the company's ground network has been ready for three years.

He also described Eutelsat OneWeb as "significantly ahead" of Starlink in India's satellite-communication market. That's a founder talking about his own book, naturally — but the licence-application date is the harder fact, and it favours him.

The approval arithmetic is worth noting. Three companies have already obtained satellite communications licences in India:

• Starlink
• Eutelsat OneWeb
• Reliance Jio's satcom project

Yes, Starlink is on that list. The dispute, then, isn't about whether Musk's service can operate on paper — it's about the pace and terms of full market entry, and whether political actors will let that pace slow further.

What happens next?

The government's position — fair, ongoing assessments — buys it time, but not indefinitely. With the RSS pressing for a block, Musk alleging protectionism, Ambani defending home turf and Mittal pointing at a five-year-old application, New Delhi will have to rule on satellite-spectrum terms that satisfy at least three billionaires at once. Judging by the queue, OneWeb's patience may yet pay off first.