Chidambaram jabs PM Modi as Elon Musk cancels India trip but visits China

Congress leader Chidambaram criticises PM Modi as Elon Musk visits China instead of India, discusses self-driven car plans with Chinese PM.

Published on: Apr 29, 2024, 19:21:14 IST

By HT News Desk

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Congress leader P. Chidambaram attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as Tesla chief Elon Musk, who ditched his planned India visit, instead made a surprise visit to China.

"Elon Musk deferred visit to India citing ‘Tesla obligations’ Within days, he visited China and held talks with PM of China and discussed bringing his new Self-driven car to China," the former fiannce minister said.

“Hon'ble PM of India privately fumes and publicly claims that the Indian government is a majboot Sarkar,” Chidamabaram said.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, was scheduled to visit India this month to unveil several investment proposals, postponed his trip, which included a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, due to "very heavy Tesla obligations."

Recent months hinted at strengthening ties between Tesla and India, fueling expectations of a potential $2 billion investment in an EV plant.

Additionally, the government decided to reduce import taxes on vehicles from foreign carmakers who promise local manufacturing investment.

ALSO READ- Explained: How does new EV policy pave road for Elon Musk's Tesla in India?

However, any formal announcement regarding these developments has been delayed.

ALSO READ- 'Elon Musk being Modi supporter is one thing, but…': PM on Tesla chief's India visit

Musk, however, on Sunday met with top government leaders in the Chinese capital, including premier Li Qia. His quick visit to China resulted in Tesla Inc. receiving in-principle approval from government officials to deploy its driver-assistance system in the world's largest auto market.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Centre of China published a list of 76 models of intelligent connected vehicles, including Tesla's, meeting the country's auto data security requirements.

This marks Musk's second visit to China, Tesla's second-largest market. The Shanghai factory, operational since 2019, delivered 947,000 vehicles last year, a 33% increase from 2022.

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HT News Desk
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