I'm a Master in India

Chapter 275: Demigod

“His name is Ron,” Kavya introduced with a smile.

“I know him, Sur.” Jayalalitha glanced at the newspaper on the table.

As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, she naturally paid close attention to prominent figures in the national news.

Especially since Kavya worked at The Times of India, Jayalalitha had read every article her niece wrote.

She had read many reports about Ron, and had even secretly arranged for investigations into him.

However, a newspaper was one thing; meeting the person in real life was another.

Jayalalitha scrutinized Ron from head to toe, her gaze not like someone assessing a visiting businessman; it was less formal, and warmer.

“Since we’re all family, I’ll call you Ron,” she said very directly, without needing to consult anyone.

“Hello, Ms. Jayalalitha,” Ron clasped his hands together.

“Call me Amma,” Jayalalitha interrupted him.

“Uh, Amma,” Ron stepped forward and lightly touched her ankle, a junior’s gesture of respect to an elder.

“Good child,” she smiled contentedly, affectionately patting Ron’s head.

Kavya shrugged at him, as if to say: my aunt is just like this, autocratic and domineering, no one dares to oppose her opinions.

“Why did you suddenly come back this time? Don’t you want to stay in Mumbai anymore?” Jayalalitha held her niece’s hand, showing great affection.

“I missed Amma,” Kavya replied with a grin.

“Smooth talker,” Jayalalitha said, but her face was beaming.

“Ron has never been to Madras, and I told him the beaches here are no worse than Goa’s.”

“That’s true,” Jayalalitha nodded in agreement.

“The business environment here is also among the best in all of India, especially under Amma’s governance.”

“I knew it,” Jayalalitha shot her a look, “you have other intentions.”

“This is a good thing, right? Madras can also develop.”

“Tell me, what do you want to do?” Jayalalitha now asked Ron.

“Sur Electrical Appliances plans to build a branch factory here, mainly producing home appliances like televisions, juicers, and rice cookers.”

“Do you need land and preferential policies?” she asked quite directly.

“Yes,” Ron had never discussed benefits so openly with Chief Ministers before.

“Fortunately, you came early.” She led them to the inner room of her office.

A map was displayed here, showing the industrial planning of Madras.

Ron just glanced at it and saw many familiar names.

Hyundai, BMW, Daimler, Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Wright, Yamaha…

Damn, all international giants, an unbelievably luxurious lineup.

“I was just about to invite them to build factories here; this is just an internal preliminary draft. Just tell me which plot of land you fancy, don’t overthink the rest.”

“Anywhere? I mean these circled areas.” Ron pointed to the prime locations on the map.

“Just treat it as a blank slate. I’ll make those car manufacturers move.”

Ron took a slight breath. Was this what it felt like to do as one pleased? It was too exhilarating.

Since that was the case, he wouldn’t be polite and directly pointed to a plot of land near Madras Port.

“Is it for export considerations?” Jayalalitha asked.

“Yes, the shipping routes here can connect East Asia and the West; it’s an excellent trade port.”

The location of Madras Port was quite good; to its south was Sri Lanka, and to its east was the Bay of Bengal.

There were many developing countries in these two regions, making them very suitable for Sur Electrical Appliances to expand its market.

“If that’s the case, do you want the port?”

“What?” Ron was a bit slow to react.

“Here,” Jayalalitha pointed to the north of Madras Port, “Ennore Port. The state government now allows private ports to exist, and I’m preparing to auction it off.”

Ron measured with his finger; Ennore Port was only about twenty kilometers from Madras Port, very close!

What did this mean? The benefits were far too many.

Firstly, Ennore Port was still within the辐射 (radiant reach) of the metropolis of Madras; it was essentially part of the city itself.

Secondly, it was close enough to Madras Port that many public facilities were even connected.

As the busiest port in South India, when Madras Port became congested, Ennore Port served as an alternative.

There was no shortage of traffic and business; it was simply a goose that laid golden eggs.

“What do I need to pay?” Ron’s breathing quickened slightly.

He wasn’t naive enough to think he could get these things for free just because of his relationship with Kavya.

“Ten percent of the profits from this project will go to me,” Jayalalitha said bluntly.

“Deal!”

“Additionally, I need to see the port operational within two years.” She was not short-sighted.

Taking money was one thing, but Jayalalitha also genuinely wanted to drive the development of Tamil Nadu, otherwise she wouldn’t invite so many car companies to build factories.

She was a native of Tamil Nadu, and she hoped the poor people here would live better lives, though she herself certainly wanted to live even better.

“I have a few questions to confirm,” Ron slowly calmed down, “What is the bidding price for Ennore Port?”

“No one will bid against you. Ten million US dollars, that’s what will be written in the government tender document.”

“What about the scale of the port?”

“At least four specialized berths, as well as a container terminal, a coal terminal, and a multi-purpose terminal.”

“Wow, even though I haven’t done port business, I know this would require at least a hundred million US dollars in budget.”

“The bank will provide you with a loan, you don’t need to spend money,” Jayalalitha said easily.

“Wait,” Ron was startled by her grand gesture, “All this money, will it all be provided by the bank?”

“This guy is more insatiable than I am,” Jayalalitha suddenly turned and complained to Kavya.

“Uh, did I misunderstand?” Ron was a bit embarrassed, while Kavya burst into laughter.

“No one is asking you to finish it all at once; as long as it can operate, that’s fine. One berth, or one terminal, is acceptable.”

“I understand.” Ron breathed a sigh of relief; the project would be executed in phases.

First get one berth running, then slowly expand later.

As long as he could give the government a satisfactory account, otherwise a one-time investment of hundreds of millions of US dollars would be too much pressure for him.

“The Tamil Nadu Bank will give you a 2 billion rupee loan; you’ll have to find a way for the rest.”

“No problem!” This time, Ron was full of confidence.

“The factory land is also free, with a three-year tax exemption.”

“Wow!” Ron was suddenly enveloped in happiness.

“But I have only one request,” Jayalalitha suddenly became serious.

“Please tell me.”

“Whether it’s the factory or the port, they must be genuinely built. Otherwise, I’ll send you to jail, and Kavya’s pleading will be useless.”

“Of course!” Ron’s heart tightened; he only then realized that the lady before him was also the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Jayalalitha’s efficiency was remarkably high; as soon as the matter was settled, she called her assistant.

She had someone redraw a planning map, adding Sur Electrical Appliances and removing the original Hyundai.

There was no reason, no explanation; it was entirely a command.

Shouldn’t such a major plan concerning the city’s future be discussed in a meeting?

Ron blinked; no, the entire Tamil Nadu seemed to be her personal domain.

The bidding for Ennore Port was even more outrageous; Jayalalitha just made a mark with a pen, indicating that Ron had won the bid, and the government had already received the ten million US dollars.

In fact, Ron was standing right in front of her, doing nothing, not even taking out his checkbook.

And all of this happened in front of several assistants, who not only didn’t question it but also exceedingly flattered Jayalalitha’s decision, calling it incredibly wise.

As Ron observed the few people, he noticed they had one commonality, or rather, everyone in the AIADMK headquarters shared this commonality.

That was, all politicians wore white shirts with a semi-transparent pocket on the chest, clearly containing a photo of Jayalalitha.

Ron guessed they were publicly showing their loyalty, a blatant display of flattery and sycophancy.

However, in the subsequent observations, Ron found that all of the above were relatively conservative ways people worshipped Jayalalitha.

Some people, upon encountering her in the corridor, immediately prostrated themselves, completely in the manner of slaves.

Others simply tattooed her likeness on their forearms.

All major decisions in Tamil Nadu were made by Jayalalitha alone, and even many minor matters were set by her.

No one could represent her; politicians across the state often struggled to understand her intentions.

She not only enjoyed unparalleled prestige among politicians but was also deeply loved by voters, as evidenced by the “Amma” culture outside.

Jayalalitha was able to achieve this not only due to the prestige gained from years of political struggle but also related to her “generosity.”

Although it was her first time serving as Chief Minister, she pioneered an imaginative new form of populism.

Many politicians in India believed that voters didn’t really care about ideology, only about relief supplies and handouts.

So, during election periods, politicians often promised to waive farmers’ debts or directly and ostentatiously gave things to voters.

Jayalalitha was more creative than other politicians; in the last election, she directly allocated hundreds of millions of rupees to distribute two hundred thousand bicycles to the people of the state.

She also custom-made sarees for female voters or directly gave them handbags. For voters in rural areas, she gave seeds, sheep, and poultry.

You haven’t seen this before, this is what true vote-buying looks like.

She not only did it but also placed full-page advertisements in national newspapers like The Times of India, boasting about her generous acts of giving.

Hmm, Kavya personally handled a few of those articles.

Doing so inevitably drew ridicule from social critics, but it was effective; voters always looked forward to what Jayalalitha would give during elections.

The next general election in Tamil Nadu was in '96, which was next year.

Ron immediately assured his “Amma” that Sur Electrical Appliances’ products were of good quality and affordable for everyone.

If not now, when else to give them away?

Oh, I wonder how many televisions Jayalalitha would purchase to give to voters then?

He was incredibly excited.