Elon Musk accused Indian oligarchs of blocking Starlink's India entry. The outburst has sharpened scrutiny of his own vast political spending in the United States.

Trillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk wants Starlink to break into India's satellite internet market, but he is not waiting quietly for the green light. In a series of social media rants, the tech mogul has accused powerful business interests of trying to block the service to protect their dominance. He has also trained his guns on Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, addressing him as "Prime Minister Ambani" and questioning the influence of India's "oligarchs".

The irony is hard to miss. As Musk crusades against alleged monopolies, he is facing criticism in the US over his own financial influence on politics and his spending to help Republicans, US President Donald Trump's party, retain control of Congress.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has criticised Elon Musk for pouring USD 366 million to help Republicans keep control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections. In a post on X, Sanders flagged that Musk spent USD 290 million to help Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential election. He argued that Musk’s wealth grew significantly after Trump's victory.

"Elon Musk spent USD 290 million to elect Trump. It paid off. Since his election, Musk got USD 696 billion richer and became the world's 1st trillionaire.

But that's not enough," he wrote. "Now, Musk is spending USD 366 million to keep Republicans in control of Congress. STOP MUSK. STOP OLIGARCHY," he added. MUSK THROWS $366 MILLION BEHIND REPUBLICANS Musk has spent approximately USD 366 million on the 2026 US election cycle, including at least USD 276 million since July, according to campaign figures reported by Reuters. His donations make him the largest known individual donor in this year's midterm contests.

A significant portion of the money has gone to groups supporting Republican candidates for the Senate, the upper chamber of the US Congress, and the House of Representatives, its lower chamber. The donations include USD 158 million for the Senate Leadership Fund, which backs Republican Senate candidates, and USD 76 million for America PAC, Musk's own political action committee. He also contributed USD 20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which supports Republican candidates in House races.

Other donations include USD 10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign, and USD 10 million to the Republican Governors Association. The midterm elections is a litmus test of Trump, especially after the war in Iran.

Republicans are facing a difficult fight to retain control of Congress. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to regain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Musk had previously indicated that he would scale back his political spending. In May 2025, he said, "I think I've done enough." His new contributions, however, is a renewed effort to help Republicans hold on to power.

WHY SANDERS IS WARNING AGAINST OLIGARCHY? An oligarchy is a system in which political power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of wealthy or influential people. Sanders has long argued that large fortunes allow billionaires to exert disproportionate influence over public policy and elections. His criticism of Musk is based on the argument that a single wealthy individual can spend sums on political campaigns that can help fund advertising, voter outreach and other campaign activities, which potentially gives the candidates and causes backed by major donors a substantial advantage.

Musk spent nearly USD 290 million supporting Trump during the 2024 election cycle. He later joined Trump's administration to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative tasked with cutting government spending. However, he left the role following disagreement with the US President over domestic policy.

Trump also awarded Musk with the National Medal of Science for his extraordinary contribution in the field.

HOW ELON MUSK'S RANT UNFOLDED The debate over billionaire influence has surfaced after his rant over oligarchs in India.

Starlink, operated by Musk's SpaceX, uses satellites to provide internet connectivity, including in remote areas where conventional broadband infrastructure may be limited. The company has been seeking to launch commercial services in India but is still awaiting the necessary clearances.

In his opening salvo, Musk accused unnamed Indian "oligarchs" of trying to keep Starlink out of the country to preserve their hold over the telecommunications market. "Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.

You can guess who they are ...," he wrote on "This is a crime against the people of India!" he added. In another post, he took direct aim at Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, asking whether he was "the real boss of India". Subsequently, he pointed to Starlink's presence in more than 165 countries and said the company had spent five years complying with Indian laws and regulatory requirements. He then asked: "Is Ambani the real boss of India?" Musk was not done.

In another post, he directly addressed Ambani as "Dear Prime Minister Ambani", claiming that the Reliance chairman wielded power beyond his corporate role. He accused him of wanting to preserve his company's market position and asked whether he would allow Starlink to compete.

The government rejected the claims that its approval process favoured one company over another. The Ministry of Communications said the regulatory framework was "fair and non-discriminatory", adding that satellite operators had to meet security requirements before proceeding to the next stage. It also said the relevant companies were at broadly the same regulatory stage.