Connecting Musk, Maga and Miga

USK and Modi aren't made for each other. And there is nothing common between the two.

- PRABHU CHAWLA

While Elon Musk, the richest entrepreneur in the world, has infiltrated the political establishment through the back door, with the help of huge donations, Narendra Modi has won the popular mandate for the third consecutive time. But both have one thing in common: minimum governance and maximum governance at minimum cost. Modi has the first-mover advantage, as he vowed to ensure responsive governance soon after he conquered the Raisina Hills in 2014. But soon, he discovered that putting India on a growth trajectory would be a better strategy for future elections than just trimming the bureaucracy.

Last week, the two met in Washington. As Musk, a father of 11 children, confabulated with the prime minister, he brought along three of his kids. Musk's message may not have been lost on Modi—hacksaw the babudom and political executive in India. If Modi could coin another slogan like Make India Great Again or MIGA, which resonated with Trump's winning branding of MAGA or Make America Great Again, then why not experiment partially with Musk's maverick methods?

During the campaign, Trump had announced a new department of government efficiency under Musk, which would "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies". Now Musk is in charge of taming and pollarding the American bureaucracy. He has begun by sticking to the golden principle of maximizing returns by minimizing costs. His objective is to save around $2 trillion annually, which accounts for over 28 percent of the total US government expenditure.

Musk's target of $2 trillion is almost over half of India's GDP. India can't afford to dismantle the mammoth bureaucratic edifice that has been built over seven decades. But Modi and his advisors, who have delivered maximum growth, would have picked the right signals from their visit to Washington.