Social media posts said Rahul Gandhi thanked Elon Musk for attacking Mukesh Ambani in October 2026. That is only partly true: Gandhi did reply to Musk and back his complaint, but it was Musk who thanked Gandhi, not the other way round.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi thanked Elon Musk for his posts about Mukesh Ambani and Starlink.
Said by: Social media posts.
What the record shows: Rahul replied "Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy." Musk answered "Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling." Rahul later wrote: "I am not anti-business; I am anti-monopoly."
Where the claim came from
On 7 October 2026 Musk wrote that Starlink was "being blocked by certain oligarchs" in India. OfficeChai On 8 October he asked: "Is Ambani the real boss of India?" Forbes
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, replied on X, and Musk responded. Posts summarising the exchange then circulated with the roles reversed, saying Gandhi had thanked Musk.
What the evidence shows
Documented The sequence, as reported by Business Standard: Business Standard
Musk's posts
Musk alleged "certain oligarchs" were blocking Starlink, called it "a crime against the people of India", and asked whether Ambani was "the real boss of India".
Rahul Gandhi replies
"Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy."
Musk thanks Rahul
"Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling."
The Wire read "the other guy" as an apparent reference to Gautam Adani. The Wire Gandhi later wrote: "I am not anti-business; I am anti-monopoly." American Bazaar
Starlink's side of the dispute was set out by vice-president Lauren Dreyer at India Mobile Congress on 7 October: the company says it has built India-specific security controls and 20 gateway sites, and that Indian users' data would stay in India. Business Standard
So the claim is right that Gandhi engaged with and amplified Musk's attack on Ambani. It is wrong on the specific point that Gandhi thanked Musk. That is why this page rates it partly true.
Context
Government's position The Communications Ministry called the suggestion that Starlink is treated unfairly "baseless and misconceived", and said Starlink and its rivals are "at broadly the same regulatory stage". Al Jazeera Musk offered no evidence for his lobbying claim, as our fact check on the oligarchs claim sets out. Reliance did not respond to Scroll's request for comment. Scroll The full exchange is on our page on the foreign reaction, Musk and the US.
Questions people ask
Did Rahul Gandhi thank Elon Musk?
No. Rahul replied "Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy." Musk then wrote "Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling."
Who is "the other guy" Rahul Gandhi meant?
He did not say. The Wire read it as an apparent reference to Gautam Adani.
Is Rahul Gandhi against Ambani's business?
He wrote that he is "not anti-business" but "anti-monopoly".
Sources
- OfficeChai: Starlink is being blocked by certain oligarchs, says Musk, 7 Oct 2026
- Forbes: Musk suggests Mukesh Ambani is stymying Starlink launch, 8 Oct 2026
- Business Standard: "Indeed troubling", Musk responds to Rahul Gandhi, 9 Oct 2026
- The Wire: Musk says certain oligarchs blocking Starlink, Oct 2026
- American Bazaar: Musk, Gandhi spar over Ambani's influence, 9 Oct 2026
- Al Jazeera: India defends satellite internet approval process, 8 Oct 2026
- Scroll: "Is Ambani real boss?" asks Musk, 8 Oct 2026
