On Monday, Congress leader P. Chidambaram launched a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the volte-face by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had announced the postponement of his visit to India. The surprisingly speedy meeting with the Chinese leadership contrasts with the missed appointments with Indian authorities that the world notices.
Chidambaram reflected on Musk’s choice to delay his visit to India, as he didn’t find it logically sound to be there because of Tesla obligations but to go and eventually meet the Chinese Premier to discuss the tech for his new self-driven car for the Chinese market.
The former finance minister suggested that while the Indian Prime Minister claims a “strong government,” privately he may harbor frustration over such developments.
Elon Musk, the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, had originally intended to visit India this month to unveil various investment proposals, including a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he delayed his trip due to pressing commitments related to Tesla.
This was expected as pundits analysed the likely benefits of the tie-up, such as the possibility of the American car manufacturer investing $2 billion in building an EV plant in the country. The Indian government also communicated its interest by imposing duty cuts for foreign automakers who planned to invest a part of their earning in local enterprises. Nevertheless, no public declarations on these matters have been planned so far.
Musk’s visit to China on Sunday marked his second trip to the country, which has become Tesla’s second-largest market. During this visit, Tesla received provisional approval from Chinese authorities to introduce its driver-assistance technology in the Chinese auto market.
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