Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said India should welcome innovative solutions in cutting-edge internet systems while cautioning against weakening Brand India globally to appease “crony distractions”.

In what is being seen as a support to Elon Musk’s statement that some businessmen were blocking the entry of Starlink in India, he said Congress governments had consistently championed the digitisation and modernisation of India.

He cautioned against compromising Brand India’s interests to accommodate what he described as “crony distractions”, stressing the importance of promoting innovation and maintaining India’s credibility in the global technology landscape.

He recalled the conceptualisation of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the adoption of mobile-based digital payments infrastructure were taken up under the Congress-led UPA-II government in 2012-13, describing the initiative as a shining example of Indian innovation.

Mr. Revanth Reddy emphasised that India should remain open to innovative technologies and solutions in advanced internet systems, while safeguarding the country’s global reputation and technological standing.

He posted his opinion on social media platforms in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s post on the same issue being seen in support of Starlink.