Tesla will soon come to India: Musk after meeting Modi
What's the story
On a three-day state visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday night (local time). After the meeting, Musk called himself "a fan of Modi" and said he was confident Tesla would launch in India very soon. He said, "PM Modi really cares about India because he is pushing us to make significant investments in India."
Context
Why does this story matter?
Musk is the world's richest person, and the Tesla CEO—especially after the latest meeting—is expected to invest in Indian companies. Tesla manufactures electric cars and related products/services. Setting up a manufacturing plant in India would generate jobs and also boost the economy by facilitating business. PM Modi is meeting business leaders in the US with hopes of attracting investment besides defense and trade deals.
Twitter Post
India more promising than any other country: Musk
#WATCH | Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, says "I'm incredibly excited about the future of India. India has more promise than any large country in the world. He (PM Modi) really cares about India as he's pushing us to make significant investments in India. I am a fan of Modi. It… pic.twitter.com/lfRNoUQy3R
— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023
Statement
PM Modi wants to be open, supportive: Musk
After meeting Modi, the Telsa CEO said, "He wants to be open, he wants to be supportive... And obviously, at the same time, make sure that it accrues to India's advantage." He previously said Tesla is likely to finalize a location for the factory in India by 2023 end. PM Modi earlier met Musk in 2015 during a visit to Tesla's factory in California.
No choice but to obey local government: Musk on Twitter
Interestingly, after the meeting, Musk—who also owns Twitter—stated, "Twitter does not have a choice but to obey local governments. If we don't obey local government laws, we will get shut down." He added, "The best we can do is to work close to the law in any given country... We will do our best to provide free speech that is possible under the law."
Visit
PM Modi to lead International Yoga Day celebrations
After landing in New York, PM Modi reportedly met around two dozen thought leaders from various fields, including Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, academics, and health sector experts. He also met author Robert Thurman and statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb. He is set to lead the ninth International Yoga Day celebrations at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York on Wednesday.