Indian parliamentarian Raghav Chadha, from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has suggested the Indian government to reply to U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric of “nations lining up” to “kiss his ass” post his tariff announcements by “dangling” Elon Musk’s Starlink services in India in order to renegotiate tariff rates.
Taking to his official X (Twitter) account, Chadha, an AAP MP from Punjab in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House), has reiterated his demands of arm-twisting tech mogul Elon Musk to put pressure on Trump to discuss fresh tariff rates with India.
Want lower tariffs? Dangle Starlink permissions in India. The owner of Starlink – Elon Musk -isn’t just a billionaire; he’s practically a wing of the US government,” said Chadha.
Chadha also embedded an old video of him addressing the Rajya Sabha speaker, where he questioned the stance of the Indian government of rising tariff announcements made by the U.S. administration against India. He had also suggested withholding permission of Starlink services in India in order to pressurize Trump to renegotiate tariff deals.
India has offered its unflinching loyalty and undying friendship to the US. We have done everything possible to promote and protect the interests of the US and US companies in India… But despite this, the Trump administration has levied 26% tariffs on Indian goods, which is likely to hit us by 50-100 basis points in terms of GDP loss. Should we not withhold the requisite approvals for Elon Musk’s Starlink, who is a very visible part of the US administration, and use that as a bargaining chip to renegotiate these Trump tariffs?”,” said Chadha.
On April 2, the US government, led by President Donald Trump, observed “Liberation Day”, where the US announced reciprocal tariffs on various trading partners, including India, which was hit with a 27% tariff.
In March, Airtel and Jio had announced a collaboration with Elon Musk’s Starlink to bring satellite-based connectivity for high-speed internet in India. But it should be noted that though Starlink is keen to make its debut in India, it has still not obtained a license from the Indian government.
Also Read: India should withhold Elon’s Starlink in reply to Trump’s Tariff: Lawmaker
