Chapter 388 Step Down

Of course Ron ignored Mayawati, as he suspected she was high.

It's true that she is the Chief Minister, but that doesn't mean she has the right to order Ron around.

The super luxurious wedding that shocked the whole of India last month is enough to explain a lot.

Mayawati also went there, she should have had some idea.

Didn't you see the attitudes of Satya and Singh? One was touching feet, the other was warm and flattering.

Why should a Dalit like her become the Chief Minister just because of the chair under her butt?

Well, Mayawati was definitely high.

She was in her office, smoking a joint, when she heard her staff report that Satya and Singh had gone to see Mr. Sur.

Mayawati was furious, of course she knew what these people were up to.

The qi and blood surge up, and with the strength of the hemp grass, it is not surprising what he does.

Ron originally thought that if Mayawati came to him, he would just say a few perfunctory words.

Now it’s good, there’s no need to even be perfunctory.

He had said that she was able to sit in the post of Chief Minister only because he did not object.

Now he has changed his mind.

"Ron, look, now we have the final say in Uttar Pradesh." Second uncle Aditya danced with joy.

"It just happened to be the right time. The BJP needs us."

"Huh? Isn't it because we control the Progressive Party, which is the second largest political party in the North?"

"That's one of the reasons, but Singh was so willing to offer these generous terms because he was in a hurry."

"Why?" Second uncle Adia still hasn't figured it out.

"You forgot, there's an election next year."

"Oh~" he suddenly realized.

Uttar Pradesh is poor, yes, but its importance in national elections far exceeds that of any other state.

This is a very large state with a population of nearly 200 million, the largest in India. Its land area is 240,000 square kilometers, the fourth largest in India and slightly larger than the United Kingdom.

If Uttar Pradesh were independent, it would be the fifth most populous country in the world. However, Uttar Pradesh is important because it is also "huge" politically.

There are a total of 543 seats in the Indian Lok Sabha, and the country is divided into 543 constituencies, each of which elects one member of parliament.

Voting districts are drawn based on population size and have not been redrawn since they were frozen in the 1970s.

Therefore, Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state, is also the state with the largest number of parliamentary seats. It has more than 150 million voters and holds 80 seats out of 543 seats.

The United Front now forms a government cabinet in which 14 members of its Council of Ministers are from Uttar Pradesh, more than any other state.

Therefore, in Indian politics, Uttar Pradesh is also known as the "kingmaker", and whoever wins Uttar Pradesh can win the world.

And if it loses Uttar Pradesh, it will be doomed to decline, just like the Congress Party.

With the strong rise of the BJP, they also realized the importance of Uttar Pradesh.

1998 was the year of the national election, and the BJP was gearing up to form its own cabinet for the first time.

If the party wants to win a majority in the Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh becomes a top priority.

Why is Singh in such a hurry to become the Chief Minister? It is because he is preparing for next year's general election.

Once the BJP comes to power, it will be able to mobilize more resources to build momentum in Uttar Pradesh.

This is very important, as it concerns who will hold power in this country.

So just one week after Ron returned, in late June, the BJP suddenly launched an attack and tore up its alliance with the Bahasa Samajwadi Party.

The Progressive Party and the Socialist Party tacitly chose the BJP, and the coalition government, which had existed for less than a year and a half, collapsed.

Mayawati was evicted from her office in Lucknow on the same day Singh was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

Yes, the coup was so quick. The power gap was not even a day.

After Singh came to power, he fulfilled his promise. Ron's second uncle became the Minister of Commerce and Munna became the Minister of Industry.

The vacant position of Minister of Public Works is still controlled by the Sur family, and their power is even greater.

Satya also became the Minister of Energy, which is not a core position, but it is much better than the previous position of being alone.

Along with his subordinates within the Socialist Party, he also picked up a few unimportant minor ministers.

Two days before Mayawati was ousted, Ron called him.

Satya made his choice without much hesitation.

There is no way, the space left for him to operate is too narrow.

The Socialist Party and the BJP have never gotten along, and the crux of the conflict lies with the herders.

The Socialist Party's policy of forming an alliance with the herders played an important role in its ability to take power in Uttar Pradesh twice.

It just so happens that the BJP and the herders are sworn enemies, and the two sides have engaged in countless fights.

If Ron had not acted as a mediator this time, the Socialist Party and the BJP would never have been able to come together.

As the saying goes, plan ahead. Political affairs are always turbulent.

After carrying out a coup with ease, Ron did not make a high-profile appearance at the press conference.

He went to the power plant on the outskirts of Lucknow, accompanied by Satya.

As the Minister of Energy, it is reasonable for him to follow around.

The power plant is located near a railway, and the coal brought from Songbadra can be unloaded directly into the plant.

Although it is close to Lucknow, it has not been fully urbanized and still retains traces of ancient villages.

From the outside, it looks more like a slum, with buffaloes rolling on the bumpy dirt road, old men sitting around smoking hookahs, and women walking with veils on, a scene of traditional Indian villages.

Their SUV drove through the village and stopped in front of the vast construction site of the power plant.

Several huge conical chimneys rise high into the sky. They don’t seem to be anything special from a distance, but you can only feel the shock when you stand at their feet.

Ron thought that it might take several minutes to drive a circle in an off-road vehicle.

The power plant has not yet been put into use, but according to the plan, it will be completed next year.

“This power plant requires huge investment and once it is operational, it will solve all electricity needs in Lucknow.”

"Yes, we have arranged a police team to patrol here." Satya responded respectfully.

"I'm not worried about that now, except that some villagers might steal the electricity after it's generated."

"Mr. Sur, the grid connection line near the power plant is very high and difficult to access. The voltage is not the same as the mains electricity. The villagers here don't have to worry. Once it reaches the city, the power bureau will take over. Any losses will have nothing to do with the power plant."

"You understand a lot." Ron nodded in satisfaction.

"This is a good thing that benefits the country and the people, and the government should bear appropriate losses."

"That's right. Please do a survey report later to see which other cities are short of electricity. I'll have someone follow up."

"Yes, you are the only one, Mr. Sur, who cares about the development of Uttar Pradesh." Satya flattered him subtly.

Ron smiled and said nothing. Since they were entering the power industry, there was no reason to build only one power plant.

All industrial cities in Uttar Pradesh will be the subjects of inspection. The government will pay for it, so he has nothing to worry about.

Once it develops to a certain level and the power grid in Uttar Pradesh is completed, only then will a steady stream of wealth flow into your pockets.

Ron is now focusing on developing basic industries, with Uttar Pradesh being his base.

As mentioned earlier, if these industries are done well, they can be passed down as family businesses for decades.

Well, his own family.

Kavya and Isha are both pregnant and are expecting two children soon.

As for the other women in Mumbai, Ron certainly wouldn't show favoritism.

He made a rough calculation and estimated that he might have more than a dozen children in the future.

With so many offspring, I can't just give birth to them and not raise them. I have to find something for them to do.

Of course, this is a later story. Ron’s current goal is to expand the business as much as possible.

Electricity, cement, mining, real estate, infrastructure projects... If the future develops well, any one of them can be formed into a large group.

Uttar Pradesh is the cradle of these industries, so Ron must pay attention to it.

At most in one or two years, all the businesses invested and constructed now will enter the profit period.

If things go well, he will speed up the pace of external expansion.

In fact, he had already made arrangements in Bihar and Gujarat, but had not yet given his full effort.

Perhaps we can make adjustments next year and prepare to fully enter the secondary industry.

The main building of the power plant has been completed, and equipment debugging is now underway.

This was also a long and time-consuming project. After inspecting the project and encouraging the workers, he prepared to leave.

The large estate under construction in Lucknow was located in the west of the city, and Ron thought of stopping by to take a look.

The car bumped along the muddy dirt road and after twenty minutes it left the old village and headed towards the city.

As a result, the road was blocked shortly after entering the city.

Ron pressed the window and looked out. It seemed that a group of farmers were marching and demonstrating.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Master, I'll go and ask around." Anil got out of the car.

"It's the farmers who grow red sorghum." Satya said next to him.

"You know them?" Ron turned around.

"This has been going on for a long time. This incident was also Mayawati's doing. She has to bear the main responsibility."

Ron was about to ask something when Anil came over with a leader.

The man wore thick glasses, had a shaggy beard, and his face was covered in sweat.

He was short in stature but had an imposing presence and looked nothing like a farmer.

He was not happy at first when Anil called him over, but when he saw Ron in the car window, he was immediately shocked.

He hurriedly bent down and touched the ground as a foot-touching gesture.

"Mr. Soul!" He clasped his hands together cautiously, as if he was praying.

"Don't be nervous, what's your name?" Ron whispered to comfort him.

"Yes sir, my name is Devaram." He indeed relaxed a little.

"What's going on over there?" Ron pointed out the window.

"They are almost dead, sir, and have no choice but to come here and beg the government to intervene."

"What?" Ron asked, puzzled.

Devaram began to tell the story of Red Sorghum and his own story.

The two are actually one and the same, about the life history of Indian farmers.

When you see him for the first time, you will feel uncomfortable and think that he is barbaric, rude and disgusting.

But after listening to his story, you will feel that everything is natural.

(End of this chapter)