India decided to welcome Tesla and the EV maker's CEO, Elon Musk. Mahendra Nath Pandey, an Indian politician and the Minister of Heavy Industries, said that the Aatmanirbhar Bharat policy would not be compromised.  

(Photo : Photo credit should read PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
People visit the electric carmaker Tesla showroom at El Corte Ingles store in Lisbon, on September 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

If you are unfamiliar with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat idea, it is India's campaign to retain the country as self-reliant. 

Pandey clarified this detail since Indian residents may have had the wrong idea as the giant automaker entered the country. Based on his statements, the government will not completely rely on the EV maker's technologies. 

India Welcomes Tesla, But Will Protect Aatmanirbhar Bharat Policy

According to NDTV's latest report, Elon Musk also explained his plans for India. The billionaire stated that Tesla would not manufacture its EVs in the country. 

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But, he added that this could change if the government allows them to first sell and service Tesla EVs in India. This can be an issue since India imposes 100% import duty on fully imported vehicles. 

"The government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has moved ahead swiftly on the Aatmanirbhar Bharat policy and received a very good response on it and we are not going to compromise on that in any way," said Pandey. 

The Minister of Heavy Industries clarified that the billionaire and his EV company are welcome in India as long as they follow the government's policies.  

Other Problems of Tesla in India 

Mashable India previously reported that Manuj Khurana, Tesla India's policy and business development executive, decided to leave the company. 

Khurana didn't confirm the reason for his resignation yet. Before he resigned, the Tesla executive asked India to reduce the EV import duty to 40%.

But, it seems like the Indian government will not yield to this. As of writing, India is still forcing Tesla to manufacture its cars in the country before they can start selling them in the Indian market.  

On the other hand, the popular Tesla Model Y was able to survive the busy Chinese streets. 

Meanwhile, Elon Musk and Tesla are now facing a $258 billion lawsuit because of an alleged dogecoin scam. 

For more news updates about the expansion of Tesla in India, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. 

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Written by: Griffin Davis