The Elon Musk-India Affair: From Following PM Modi To Supporting India's UNSC Membership. A Definitive Timeline

Elon Musk has expressed his surprise that India is yet to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council. However, this isn't his first tryst with India. It all actually started way back in 2015.

Elon Musk wants India to be a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). If you thought that was a ‘Fake News’ headline, well, you’re in for a surprise. As it turns out, the billionaire entrepreneur did post a tweet on January 21 claiming the same, additionally supporting the addition of African nations as a collective group. Now, while this might seem like a bit out of the blue, this is definitely not Musk’s first tryst with India, who has been in talks (if the rumour mill is to be believed) to set up a Tesla factory in India for quite some time now. 

Here’s a quick timeline of Musk’s most-talked-about encounters with India:

2015: When Musk Met Modi - Part 1

Let’s dial our clocks back to nearly a decade ago when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to the US. PM Modi met with several eminent personalities from the country, including star astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author Robert Thurman, and more. 

During the tour, PM Modi visited the Tesla Motors factory in California, where he met with Musk for the first time. The two had lengthy conversations and PM Modi also got a special tour of the plant. 

Here’s a video that sums up the meet:

2019: Musk Says Yes (Sort Of)

During a Tesla Model Y exhibition, Musk took to the stage and said that Tesla, his $674-billion EV manufacturing company, and said that it will build superchargers in Kazakhstan.

A tech enthusiast (@shurathi17) commented on Musk’s post on Twitter (before it was renamed X) in March, “What about India Sir?”

To this, Musk responded “Would love to be there this year. If not, definitely next!” Now, while that may not have been an outright ‘yes’, it still had favourable optics. 

2020: 'Next Year For Sure'

In October, when the unofficial Tesla India fan club tweeted a couple of photos on Tesla India t-shirts, to which Musk teasingly replied, “Next year for sure.” 

Surprisingly enough, Musk did follow through this time around, but not in the way we’d expected.

2021: Tesla Registers India Arm

In January, Tesla made its presence felt in India by registering Tesla India Motors and Energy in Bengaluru. 

Throughout the year, the EV maker strategically lobbied for reduced import duties and tax incentives while securing approval in December to launch seven electric models in the Indian market.

2022: 'Working Through A Lot Of Challenges'

Early in the year, officials from Telangana, Maharashtra, and West Bengal extended invitations to Musk to establish a Tesla plant within their respective states. 

Musk, however, replied to a tweet in January, "Still working through a lot of challenges with the government." 

Adding to Tesla's challenges, Vivek Johnri, Chairman of India's Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, announced in February that existing regulations prohibited modifications to the tax structure. As an alternative, he recommended importing partially assembled models and completing the assembly process locally to minimize costs. 

Eventually, Tesla opted to suspend its plans for EV production in India. Imagine the resounding heartbreak felt in the aforementioned Tesla India fan club. 

2023: When Musk Met Modi - Part 2: 'I'm A Fan Of Modi'

In June, the Prime Minister met with Musk once again during a three-day visit to the US. After the meeting, Musk came out in praises for PM Modi and said, “I'm incredibly excited about the future of India. India has more promise than any large country in the world.”

The cherry on top? Musk concluded by saying, “I’m a fan of Modi.”

Just a couple of months earlier, Musk also followed PM Modi on X, becoming one of his 94.7 million (and counting) followers on the platform. 

In May, Tesla executives conducted talks with Indian officials, proposing the establishment of a Giga factory to localise component sourcing and produce vehicles for both domestic and international markets. 

By this point, it became evident that Tesla does aim to swiftly finalise the factory's location, signalling a strategic step towards expanding its manufacturing presence in India.

Such a “fan” Musk had become by then that he even happily responded to a tweet saying that he’d love to visit India in 2024.

2024: SpaceX, ISRO Team Up

Following the Indian Space Research Organisation’s globally applauded Chandrayaan-2 success, Musk’s thriving spacefaring company SpaceX announced in January that it will help ISRO launch a 4.7-tonne communication satellite, using its Falcon 9 rocket. 

So, by now, two of Musk’s successful business operations have slowly made its presence felt in India. 

His SpaceX-owned satellite Internet service, Starlink, is also set to get a licence to operate in the country, once it clears regulatory issues. 

2024: India’s UNSC Seat

January isn’t even over and the Musk-India affair has resurfaced once again.  Musk expressed his astonishment at India's exclusion from a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), deeming it as illogical. Musk asserted that nations possessing surplus influence are reluctant to relinquish it.

The discourse on this matter arose following comments made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who voiced apprehension regarding the absence of any African nation holding a permanent membership in the Security Council.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You’re all caught up with Musk’s tryst with India so far. 

However, a lot of Tesla and Starlink-shaped balls are still up in the air. These companies are yet to officially make their footfalls in India. However, the outlook so far seems positive. Only time will tell otherwise.

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