Zoho founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu has hit back at Elon Musk’s claim that “certain oligarchs” are blocking Starlink’s entry into India, defending the country’s cheap data prices and crediting government policy for a competitive economy.

In a series of posts on X, Vembu argued that India’s low-cost data plans, affordable medicines and digital payment infrastructure were evidence of a competitive economy, not a captured one. He also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with encouraging competition and supporting startups.

“These are the facts, Elon”

“India has among the lowest data prices in the world. It is so good that I don’t even bother to connect to local WiFi when I travel in India and just tether my phone to work on my computer,” Vembu wrote, adding that Indians routinely carry dual-SIM phones with large data plans because they are so affordable.

He credited Mukesh Ambani’s launch of Reliance Jio as directly responsible for the low data prices Indians enjoy, and pointed to India’s low drug prices and UPI — among the world’s lowest-cost payment systems — as further proof.

Vembu drew a comparison with Musk’s own markets: Tesla is protected from Chinese competition in the US, keeping American EV prices higher, while Indian startups are making major advances in low-cost rockets that pose a threat to SpaceX — “the same way the Chinese EVs threaten Tesla”. He concluded: “These are the facts Elon.”

Minister rejects monopoly charge

Musk’s comments drew a response from Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who said: “India does not allow monopoly in any sector.” He clarified that satellite communication licences had been given to everyone who wanted them — Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s Jio Satcom.

Musk has separately argued that Starlink’s services could save lives during emergencies, saying the service had “proven to be essential for saving lives during natural disasters throughout the world, when all other communications systems have failed”.