Chapter 429: Fanaticism
2019 is a special year for Maharashtra as the five-yearly state election is about to begin.
Unfortunately, the Shiv Sena's recent actions have been full of violence, which has severely damaged the public's favorability.
They target Bollywood and cricket stars, which are the only ways for ordinary people to get entertainment.
Thackeray and the Shiv Sena leaders realized the situation belatedly and cut ties in time, but it was too late.
Not only were there endless criticisms in the newspapers, but many people also called the city government to protest.
What's worse is that Thackeray's attempt to distance himself from the matter has disappointed the Shiv Sena's followers.
While they were charging at the front and getting beaten half to death, he was sitting in his villa in Matosli, drinking wine and hugging a woman.
"I used to look up to the bigwigs. But I want to take down the bigwigs' photos from the wall and replace them with my own. The resources that the Congress Party failed to use up in 40 years of rule were used up by the Shiv Sena in just three years," said a small Shiv Sena leader.
Some changes in mentality are quietly taking place, and it is clear that the state elections in a few months will not be very optimistic.
But Ron didn't have the heart to pay attention to these things now, his plane had already taken off to Tamil.
Since I got my own private jet, traveling has become much more convenient. I no longer have to worry about planning my trip, and if I'm in a hurry, I can just go back and forth on the same day.
It was Kavya who picked us up at the airport again, and this time she drove the car herself.
"Where's Algalon?" Ron sat in the passenger seat.
"My sister-in-law is taking care of him. He is very naughty now."
Agalon is one month older than little Ravi and was the first to learn to walk.
Now, another three or four months have passed, and the little guy can already run around the yard.
He is so curious that he can't stop and needs someone to watch him all the time.
"Where's my mother? Is she still living in the same place?"
"I moved to a new apartment, it's less conspicuous, you know. And it's her birthday these two days, so she's very busy."
This is one of the reasons why Ron came to Tamil, and of course business matters also have to be handled at the same time.
Since returning to the chief minister's chair last year, Jayalalithaa's "Amma cult" has once again taken over the streets of Chennai.
The scenery outside the car window along the way made Ron feel familiar.
Her portraits and posters are everywhere, and all kinds of branded stores are popping up like mushrooms after rain.
It's amazing that Ron feels that Jayalalithaa is more popular now than before.
The last time she was imprisoned, her public support rate was not affected at all, and people became even more fanatical.
As for the reason, I can only say that it is all thanks to the support from peers!
To beat your competitors in India, sometimes you don’t need to do better than them, you just need to maintain your status quo.
Because your opponent will always lower his or her bottom line, and then you can win effortlessly.
This is an era of comparison and depravity. It all depends on which side has fallen more thoroughly, not on who has more conscience.
After Jayalalithaa returned to power, not only did her foundation remain solid, but she also had countless supporters.
They do not allow their idols to be criticized, and opponents who make even the slightest criticism of Jayalalithaa may face a loud scolding in court or a beating in the street.
Gradually, her supporters also gained a reputation for being vindictive, and an incident that happened a few months ago magnified this prejudice several times.
A female civil servant planned to enter politics after leaving her job. Some people thought she might become Jayalalithaa's political enemy, so they threw sulfuric acid in her face.
This blatant criminal act not only did not arouse the anger of the masses, but instead many supporters cheered loudly.
The current Tamil Nadu government is basically composed of men who fawn over her.
Some people, to show their loyalty, prostrated themselves upon seeing her, while others loudly recited their oaths to her photo every day.
Jayalalithaa did not treat her supporters badly. As soon as she came to power last year, she couldn't wait to give gifts to voters.
A total of 300,000 electrical appliances including juicers, blenders, microwave ovens, refrigerators, and VCDs were given away.
There is no doubt that they are all products of Sur Electric Appliances. This time she gave them away more blatantly and was not worried about media reports at all.
The color TV kickback case two years ago seemed to have no impact on her.
In fact, there is nothing to worry about. Sur Electric Appliances is famous for its cost-effectiveness.
Ron made a small fortune, as the profit from this purchase was over ten billion rupees.
The name of "Amma" once again resounded throughout Tamil Nadu.
This is how the people’s votes are won, simply and crudely.
This time, for Jayalalithaa’s birthday, she is planning to give gifts again.
People have begun to look forward to what the grandmother will give them, this time perhaps a motorcycle and a mobile phone.
The Tamil Daily openly wrote: She has never disappointed the voters.
Well, indeed, Ron has already got the order from Tamil Nadu.
This time, Jayalalithaa is giving away mobile phones and laptops, both of which are high-end products from Sur Electrical.
Especially laptops, because the price is too high, almost no one buys them.
You see, the problem is solved with my mom here.
She planned to distribute the notebooks she bought to her students just for the slogan "Information Age".
This is great, as Sur Electric Appliances is struggling to expand its sales.
This path can be further developed in the future. After accumulating experience from previous generations of products, it can be gradually rolled out to the civilian market.
"Mom, you look much better now." At the birthday party, Ron flattered her like crazy.
"It's all because of this little guy." Jayalalitha held Agalon in her arms.
She never married and had no children. After Agalon was born, she loved him more than Kavya, her mother.
"That's good. Tamil Nadu needs you to take charge of the situation."
"Yes, yes," everyone echoed, flattering him very much.
“The Sunshine Smart City you mentioned last time is great. Chennai needs such high-quality planning projects.”
"Then I'll show it to you separately later."
"Okay." She nodded.
Ron knew that the matter was settled, and he would also own a luxurious commercial district in Chennai.
What is the most profitable thing after the 21st century? Of course, it is real estate.
Sur Real Estate looks down on those small projects and wants to do something big.
After careful consideration, it is found that among the top six metropolitan areas in India, only Kolkata and Hyderabad have not yet been arranged.
This matter is not urgent, he needs to slow down for a while as he has too many big projects recently.
For each of these business districts alone, the investment starts at US$500 million, and this is just the cost of land and construction.
There are many places to spend money on later decoration, maintenance, and investment attraction.
Four business districts, five ports, a steel plant, and an ever-expanding network of signal base stations
Even though bank loans covered most of the project funding, Ron's $2.5 billion piggy bank was completely emptied.
Fortunately, he has quite a few profitable businesses under his name, with a profit of 13.5 billion rupees, or $300 million, every month.
Sufficient cash flow, let him squander it. Otherwise, the bank interest alone would be enough to make him suffer.
Ron's expected goal is to establish his own business districts in the six major cities before 2005.
The same is true for the ports, which will be put into use within three years.
These properties will become his new cash cows in the future, so he doesn't have to worry too much if Sur Electric goes downhill.
In a place like India, high-tech companies are not popular, and traditional industries are more stable.
Ron glanced at the babbling little Algalon, who was the darling of the party and the center of attention.
Tsk, you are so lucky, you are born at the top of Indian society.
He reached out and pinched the little guy's fair and tender cheek, earning a roll of the eyes from Kavya.
Just as I was about to say something, I heard a noise outside.
Everyone looked up, and soon a visitor with a unique appearance attracted everyone's attention.
Hearing whispers in his ears, Ron knew that the person coming was Husseini, a fitness coach.
He was an avid follower of Jayalalithaa and celebrated his mother’s birthday in his own unique way.
He crucified himself and wore a white T-shirt with "Ama" written on the front in large red letters.
It is said that several apprentices stretched out his arms and nailed them to a wooden frame made of plywood. He endured it for more than ten minutes.
The scarlet words on the T-shirt were written in blood, his own blood.
There were many guests watching the event, and Sun TV and several TV stations were broadcasting it live.
It was so weird that Ron gasped.
This is not the end yet, soon another fanatical supporter came.
He was a painter who gave Jayalalithaa a bust of her that he had painstakingly painted over several years using 11 liters of his own blood.
The banquet hall was engulfed in a sea of cheers. Everyone clapped their hands desperately, wishing it were them who were tied to the cross, or that the blood on the painting was theirs.
Those who knew understood that this was a birthday party, while those who didn't thought it was some kind of religious sacrifice.
This is India's electoral system, which has hijacked religion and nationalism.
The groveling of political parties, the earnest displays of respect, the occasional acts of self-harm – this cult of personality inevitably makes one wonder if it was orchestrated.
Ron can responsibly say that no, people really love their mothers from the bottom of their hearts.
It is true that she has a record of corruption, but this does not prevent many well-off professionals from viewing her as a capable official.
Many people even secretly admired her autocratic style of rule, and many local villagers unexpectedly received gifts in her name.
In their eyes, she is a kind-hearted philanthropist, and indeed bears some resemblance to the "mother" of the Tamil people as portrayed in propaganda.
But this is a good thing. With this big tree, Ron can do almost whatever he wants in Tamil.
He doesn't ask for much, just business.
For example, Ennore Port is about to be expanded, and the surrounding land will soon be allocated there.
There is no way around it. Once the port is opened, it will make money like a money printing machine.
Those first six berths were never idle for a single day. It was all about money.
There are so many ships coming to Chennai that the port is always congested.
Ron acted decisively and built fourteen more berths, making a total of twenty.
The total investment is US$500 million and the construction period is three years.
It is estimated that after completion, the port will generate an annual profit of US$520 million, ensuring stable income regardless of drought or flood.
The shipping company now has double the number of ships as Dhanbad's coal production has increased and the previous fleet is simply not enough.
It is obvious that capital is snowballing at an increasingly faster rate.
1999 was a special year. Rumors about the Y2K bug started circulating.
(End of this chapter)
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