Politics

Modi meets Elon Musk, discusses Tesla’s entry into Indian market

New York/New Delhi, Jun 21 (EFE) – India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with billionaire businessman Elon Musk in New York to discuss Tesla’s possible entry into India and give further impetus to the use of electric power, according to official sources Wednesday.

Modi invited Musk to “to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and rapidly expanding commercial space sector,” India Press Information Bureau said in a statement.

“I’m actually incredibly excited about the future of India. I think India has more promise than any large country in the world,” said Musk following his meeting with the prime minister.

“I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible,” said the billionaire, who also owns the social media platform Twitter.

The Indian government had earlier expressed interest in Tesla setting up a factory under the policy “Made in India”, however the American firm preferred to explore the market before investing.

Modi is “pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something we intend to do. We are just trying to figure out the right timing,” Musk said.

The issues over Twitter were also expected to be discussed in the meeting, especially over the platform’s clashes with the Indian government and criticism over India’s controls on freedom of expression.

However, the statement by the Indian government did not make any reference on the subject.

Besides Musk, Modi met with several business leaders, academics, and celebrities, including economist Paul Romer, astrophysicist and science communicator Neil de Grasse Tyson, and American singer Falguni Shah.

Modi is in the United States for an official three-day visit that kicks off Wednesday with the celebrations for International Yoga Day from the United Nations headquarters, followed by a meeting with President Joe Biden. EFE

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