 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds joint press confrence with US President Donald Trump. Screengrab")
Lauding US President Donald Trump’s negotiation skills, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that only the American leader has a “copyright” on the word deal. The prime minister made these remarks as he attempted to duck a question on any upcoming business deal with billionaire Elon Musk.
“We have a very old relationship. I have known him (Elon Musk) since I was the chief minister of Gujarat. He came with his family to meet me today. As far as any deal is concerned, only one person has a copyright on the word deal in the world and that is Trump,” Modi said during a joint press conference with Trump.
The remarks came amid reports that Musk has been trying to launch SpaceX’s Starlink in India. PM Modi met Musk on the sidelines of his two-day visit to the United States which came at the invitation of Trump. This marked the first visit of the prime minister to Washington after Trump returned to the White House.
PM Modi & Musk discuss space, tech & innovation
Before meeting Trump, the Prime Minister held a meeting with several ministers from his cabinet and “First Buddy” Elon Musk. The prime minister and the Tesla CEO met each other in Washington DC and discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation, Modi said on X.
“Their discussion also touched on opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance,” the Ministry of External Affairs said separately in a statement regarding Musk’s meeting with PM Modi.
“Had a very good meeting with @elonmusk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation. I talked about India’s efforts towards reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt is pertinent to note that Starlink has been eying to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s company over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services. While the government maintained that the spectrum should be re-assigned and not auctioned, Starlink’s license application is still under review.
With inputs from agencies.