 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House. Reuters")
Maga + Miga = Mega
During a meeting with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed their shared vision of ‘Maga’ and ‘Miga’.
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What do these phrases mean?
‘Maga’ refers to ‘Make America Great Again,’ while ‘Miga’ stands for ‘Make India Great Again.’
But how does ‘Mega’ relate to these concepts? What was the idea PM Modi intended to convey?
Let’s find out:
‘Maga + Miga’ explained
Drawing inspiration from Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” PM Modi expressed his commitment to “Make India Great Again,” or “Miga,” which is a play on the US president’s well-known slogan.
“The people of America are well aware of Maga - Make America Great Again. The people of India are also moving towards Viksit Bharat 2047,” he said.
Modi explained that a shared vision of Maga and Miga forms a ‘mega’ partnership for prosperity.
The two leaders have set a target of USD 500 billion in bilateral trade between India and the US by 2030.
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He further said that Washington and New Delhi are working towards finalising this “mutually beneficial trade agreement” in the coming days. Notably, the US is India’s largest trading partner, with trade between the two nations amounting to $129.2 billion in 2024.
They also announced that India and the US are progressing in joint development, production, and technology transfer. PM Modi said that their partnership and cooperation could contribute to shaping a better world.
“We will strengthen oil and gas trade to ensure India’s energy security. In the energy infrastructure, investment will increase. In the nuclear energy sector, we spoke about deepening our cooperation, in the direction of small modular reactors,” he said.
During his address, Trump announced that he and Modi had reached a crucial agreement on energy to ensure that America regains its position as a key supplier of oil and gas to India.
The two leaders also pledged to advance efforts to help the construction of American-designed nuclear reactors in India under the framework of the landmark civil nuclear deal finalised over 16 years ago.
“The leaders announced their commitment to fully realise the US-India 123 Civil Nuclear Agreement by moving forward with plans to work together to build US-designed nuclear reactors in India through large-scale localisation and possible technology transfer,” according to a joint statement.
Trump also revealed a major expansion in US-India military cooperation, including the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets. “Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F35, Stealth fighters," he said.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the most widely deployed fifth-generation fighter jet, participated in the 15th edition of Aero India, Asia’s largest aerospace and defence exhibition, held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru earlier this month. The aircraft features advanced stealth, superior situational awareness, and networked combat capabilities.
In another major development beyond trade, Trump announced the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to India, stating that he would be held accountable.
“He’s going to be going back to India to face justice,” Trump said. The US president later added, “We’re giving him back to India immediately”.
Responding to this, PM Modi said, “India and America have been together in the fight against terrorism. We agree that solid action must be taken to eliminate terrorism that originates on the other side of the border.”
Other key takeaways from Modi-Trump meet
PM Modi and Trump met at the Oval Office in the White House on Friday morning, where they discussed defence and trade agreements, H1B visas, immigration, innovation, and other key issues.
This was Modi’s first meeting with Trump since the US president took office on January 20 and launched a controversial tariff war with other nations.
The two leaders commended each other and agreed to strengthen security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a likely subtle reference to competition with China, while also initiating joint production on technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Before his meeting with Trump, Modi held discussions with national security adviser Mike Waltz. He also met SpaceX billionaire and senior Trump administration official Elon Musk .
Modi and Trump also said that immigration had been part of their discussions.
India recently accepted the return of 104 migrants who were flown back on a US military aircraft, which was the first such repatriation under the Trump administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border.
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In recent years, there has also been a rise in the number of Indians attempting to cross into the US via the Canadian border. The US Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indian nationals in the year ending September 30, which accounts for 60% of all arrests in that area and more than ten times the figure recorded two years earlier.
Trump has vowed to carry out a “mass deportation” of all individuals residing illegally in the US. Modi, on Thursday, said, “Any verified Indian who is in the US illegally, we are fully prepared to take them back to India.”
The US President also stated that PM Modi is a far “tougher negotiator” than him, adding that there is no comparison.
“He (Modi) is a much tougher negotiator than me and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest.”
After their meeting, President Donald Trump presented PM Modi with his book ‘Our Journey Together’, which includes several photographs from the ‘Howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’ events. The book also features an image of Trump from his 2020 visit to the Taj Mahal.
With inputs from agencies