Indian Tech Moguls Urge Modi To Be Tougher on Chinese Rivals

Leaders in India’s technology industry are urging the country to go even further to protect the interests of local companies against foreign rivals, or risk ceding the world’s fastest growing internet arena to Chinese and American monopolies.

Narendra Modi’s administration this month banned 59 Chinese apps in the country, including ByteDance Ltd.’s short-video hit TikTok, a dramatic policy shift aimed at improving local control and data security. In separate interviews, Policybazaar co-founder Yashish Dahiya -- whose company is backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. -- and MobiKwik frontman Bipin Preet Singh urged Modi to go further. Emboldened by growing hostility against its giant neighbor, they want regulators to curb their access to Indian markets, establish rules to wrest back control of user data and bankroll local startups.