Chapter 275 Demigod
"His name is Ron." Kaavia introduced with a smile.
“I know him, Sur.” Jayalalithaa glanced at the newspaper on the table.
As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, she is of course very concerned about newsmakers in the country.
Especially since Kavya works at The Times of India, Jayalalithaa has read every article written by her niece.
She had read a lot of reports about Ron and even secretly asked someone to investigate.
But newspapers are one thing, and seeing someone in person is another.
Jayalalithaa looked Ron up and down. Her eyes did not seem to be examining a visiting businessman. There was less courtesy and more warmth.
"Since we're all family, I'll call you Ron." She spoke directly without asking anyone's opinion.
"Hello, Ms. Jayalalithaa." Ron clasped his hands together.
“Call me Amma,” Jayalalithaa interrupted him.
"Uh, Mom." Ron stepped forward and lightly touched her ankle, which was the etiquette of the younger generation towards the elders.
"Good boy." She smiled with satisfaction and touched Ron's head affectionately.
Kavyaya shrugged at him, as if to say: My aunt is just like that, she is so arbitrary and no one dares to oppose her opinion.
"Why did you come back suddenly this time? Don't you want to stay in Mumbai?" Jayalalithaa held her niece's hand and doted on her very much.
“I miss my aunt.” Kavya replied with a smile.
"Smooth talker," Jayalalithaa said, but her face was beaming.
"Ron has never been to Madras, and I told him the beaches here are no worse than Goa."
"That's true." Jayalalithaa nodded in approval.
"The business environment here is also among the best in India, especially under my aunt's governance."
“I knew it,” Jayalalithaa gave her a sidelong glance. “You had other thoughts in mind.”
"That's a good thing, isn't it? Madras will also develop."
"Tell me, what do you want to do?" Jayalalithaa asked Ron this time.
"Suer Electric is planning to build a branch factory here, mainly producing home appliances such as televisions, juicers, and rice cookers."
"Do you need land and preferential policies?" she asked quite directly.
"Yes." Ron had never discussed benefits with the chief ministers so openly.
"It's a good thing you came early." She led them to the inner room of the office.
Here is a map of the industrial plan of Madras.
Ron just took a quick glance and saw many familiar names.
Hyundai Motor, BMW, Daimler, Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Wright, Yamaha
Damn, they are all international giants, and the lineup is so luxurious.
"I'm planning to invite them to build a factory here. This is just a preliminary draft for internal discussion. Just tell me which piece of land you like, and don't worry about the rest."
"Anywhere is fine? I mean these circled areas." Ron pointed to the prime locations on the map.
"Just treat it as a blank slate, and I'll ask the car manufacturers to move on."
Ron took a deep breath. Is this what it feels like to do whatever you want? It feels so good.
In that case, he didn't hesitate and directly chose a piece of land near Madras Port.
“Is it for export purposes?” asked Jayalalithaa.
"Yes, the shipping routes here connect East Asia and the West, making it an excellent trading port."
Madras Port is well situated, with Sri Lanka to the south and the Bay of Bengal to the east.
There are many developing countries in these two regions, which are very suitable for Sur Electric to develop the market.
"If that's the case, do you want the port?"
"What?" Ron was a little confused.
"Here," Jayalalithaa pointed to the north of Madras Port, "Ennore Port. Now that the state government allows private ports, I am preparing to auction it."
Ron measured with his fingers and found that Ennore Port was only more than 20 kilometers away from Madras Port, very close!
What does this mean? There are so many benefits.
Firstly, Ennore Port is still within the radiation range of the metropolis of Madras and it itself is part of the urban area.
Secondly, it is close enough to the Madras Port and many public facilities are even connected.
As the most prosperous port in South India, Ennore Port becomes a backup option when Madras Port is congested.
There is no shortage of traffic and business at all. It is simply a hen that lays golden eggs.
"What do I need to pay?" Ron's breathing quickened slightly.
He was not so naive as to take these things for free just because of his relationship with Kavya.
"Ten percent of the profits from this project will belong to me," Jayalalithaa said bluntly.
"make a deal!"
"Also, I want to see the port operational within two years." She is not short-sighted.
Although she took the money, Jayalalithaa also sincerely wanted to promote the development of Tamil Nadu, otherwise she would not have invited so many car companies to build factories.
She is originally from Tamil, and she hopes that the poor people here can live a better life, and of course she wants to live a better life herself.
"I have a few questions to confirm," Ron said, slowly calming down. "What is the bid price for Ennor Port?"
"No one is bidding against you. Ten million dollars, that's what the government bid document will say."
“What about the size of the port?”
"There will be at least four specialized berths, as well as a container terminal, a coal terminal and a multi-purpose terminal."
"Wow, even though I've never been involved in the port business, I know this would require a budget of at least hundreds of millions of dollars."
"The bank will provide you with a loan and you don't have to spend any money," Jayalalithaa said easily.
"Wait," Ron was shocked by her generosity, "all this money is provided by the bank?"
"This guy is even greedier than me." Jayalalithaa suddenly turned around and complained to Kavya.
"Uh, did I misunderstand?" Ron was a little embarrassed, while Kaavia laughed.
"No one expects you to get it done in one go, as long as it works. A berth or a dock will do."
"I understand." Ron breathed a sigh of relief. The project was carried out in stages.
First build a berth and run it, then gradually expand the rest.
As long as he can give an explanation to the government to save face, otherwise a one-time investment of hundreds of millions of dollars will be too much pressure for him.
"The Tamil Nadu Bank will give you a loan of 2 billion rupees, and you have to figure out the rest."
"No problem!" Ron was confident this time.
"The factory land is free, and tax-free for three years."
"Wow!" Ron was suddenly surrounded by happiness.
“But I have only one request.” Jayalalithaa suddenly became serious.
"You say."
"Whether it's a factory or a port, they must be built. Otherwise, I'll send you to jail, even if Kavya pleads for you."
"Of course!" Ron's heart tightened. He then realized that the lady in front of him was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Jayalalithaa was incredibly efficient and she would call her assistant as soon as the matter was finalized.
She had a new blueprint made, adding Soul Electric and removing the original Hyundai car.
There was no reason, no explanation, it was just an order.
Shouldn't we hold a meeting to discuss such a major plan that affects the future of the city?
Ron blinked. No, the whole of Tamil State seemed to be under her control.
The bid for Ennore Port was even more outrageous. Jayalalithaa simply ticked the box to indicate that Ron had won the bid and the government had received $10 million.
In fact, Ron was standing right in front of her and hadn't done anything, not even taken out his checkbook.
All this happened in front of several assistants, who not only did not question it, but also praised Jayalalithaa's decision with great flattery, calling it extremely wise.
When Ron looked at the few people, he realized that they had one thing in common, or rather, everyone in the AIADMK headquarters had this thing in common.
That is, all politicians wear white shirts with a semi-transparent pocket on the chest, with a photo of Jayalalithaa clearly stuffed inside.
Ron guessed they were doing it for the sake of public displays of loyalty, naked flattery and sycophancy.
However, in what he saw and heard later, Ron discovered that the above were relatively conservative ways for people to worship Jayalalithaa.
Some people would immediately fall to the ground when they met her in the corridor, acting like complete slaves.
Some people even tattoo her portrait on their forearms.
All major decisions in Tamil Nadu are made by Jayalalithaa alone, and even many small matters are set by her.
No one could represent her, and politicians across the state often struggled to understand her intentions.
Not only does she enjoy unparalleled popularity among politicians, she is also deeply loved by voters, as evidenced by the "Ama" culture outside.
The reason why Jayalalithaa was able to do this was not only because of the prestige she had gained through years of hard work in the political arena, but also because of her "generosity".
Although she was serving as Chief Minister for the first time, she pioneered a new and imaginative populism.
Many politicians in India believe that voters don't really care about ideology, they only care about handouts and giveaways.
So every election period, politicians often promise to forgive farmers' debts or directly give gifts to voters in a high-profile manner.
Jayalalithaa is more creative than other politicians. In the last election, she directly allocated hundreds of millions of rupees to distribute 200,000 bicycles to the people in the state.
She also tailored saris for female voters or simply gave them bags, and gave seeds, sheep, and poultry to voters in rural areas.
You haven't seen it before, this is real vote buying.
Not only did she do it, she also took out full-page advertisements in national newspapers like The Times of India, bragging about her generous gifts.
Well, Kavya has written a few of them herself.
Doing so will inevitably be ridiculed by editorial commentators, but it works. Voters look forward to what Jayalalithaa will give every time an election comes.
The next general election in Tamil Nadu will be in 1996, which is next year.
Ron immediately assured his "Auntie" that Soul Electric's products were high-quality and affordable, and everyone could afford them.
If not now, when?
Oh, I wonder how many televisions Jayalalithaa will purchase to give to voters?
He was looking forward to it.
(End of this chapter)
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