Chapter 205 Joke
"I've visited Mr. Thackeray's house a few times," Ron replied vaguely.
"I heard that he helped you deal with the factory dispute, and you also asked him to plead for Sanjay Dutt. In Mumbai, this is not an ordinary relationship." Pawar looked at him with a smile.
"Mr. Minister, I'm a businessman." Ron spread his hands helplessly. "No matter who manages Mumbai, we will give them full respect."
He said it very tactfully, that he would not offend either the Shiv Sena or the Congress party, or the businessmen on both sides.
"Merchants are all cunning, and Brahmin merchants are even more cunning." Pawar said sarcastically.
"Mayor Chavan highly appreciates the contribution of Sur Electric to Mumbai. We also helped a Congress member get a seat on the Mumbai Municipal Council."
"I heard about it," Pavard glanced at him, "otherwise you wouldn't be sitting in my study today."
Pawar is a member of the Congress Party, and the Shiv Sena and the BJP are allies. The relationship between him and Thackeray is very delicate.
Both of them are in Mumbai, and there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. It is hard not to speculate what they think of each other.
However, it is not necessarily true that they are completely hostile. After all, the Shiv Sena is fighting for the interests of the Marathas and Hindus.
Among the members of the Congress Party in Mumbai, there are many Marathas and Hindus, who are natural allies.
Political parties, caste system, religion, geopolitics – these are all mixed up between the Congress and the Shiv Sena, with both integration and confrontation.
Complex, very complex.
"Tell Thackeray that the Shiv Sena has taken control of the municipal corporation and should not extend its influence too far elsewhere."
Ron's eyes flickered, and he immediately understood what he meant. "I'll call Mr. Thackeray. We're all here for Mumbai, so we can sit down and talk."
"Just over the phone," Nawal responded.
Ron understood that this meant he was to act as a middleman in the dialogue between the two parties.
He is a businessman who has good relations with both the Shiv Sena and the Congress Party, making him a natural fit to be the broker.
Nawal will not call Thackeray directly, which can avoid unpleasantness between the two party leaders on the phone.
After the middleman brings the two together, there is room for maneuver.
Politics is also the art of communication.
"Okay, now let's talk about your Sur Park. Rahul and I mentioned it." After the important matters were discussed, Nawal felt relaxed.
"This plan is thanks to him." Ron quietly took out the blueprint.
In Rahul's first draft, the park had lawns, ponds, and a fully-equipped employee community. The factory buildings were beautifully planned, and the towering office buildings were eye-catching.
"Are these factories used to produce water air conditioners?" Navarre asked, pointing to the specially marked areas on the drawings.
"No, that's a TV production line."
"TV?" Navarre raised his voice slightly.
“Yes, Indians’ own television.”
It was almost 1994, but India still did not have a local TV brand with independent technology.
If you ask where the televisions on the market now come from, 90% are imported from Japan and South Korea, and the remaining small part comes from other assembly manufacturers in India.
The so-called domestic televisions all rely on foreign parts for assembly, or are simply imported as a whole, and then replaced with their own logos, and these are considered domestic televisions.
There are two television factories in Mabang, and all of them produce OEM products.
These rebranded goods have no quality assurance and are ridiculously expensive, making them unaffordable for the middle class.
After all, India does not have its own television technology, and even assembly is a technical job.
Now Ron said that Soul Electric was going to produce televisions, and Nawal was shocked.
"How did you do that? I mean, can Sur Electric really produce televisions? Don't you just buy them and put our Hindi logo on them?"
"We are currently negotiating with several foreign TV manufacturers about introducing technology, and the supporting production lines will all be located at Suer Electric."
Production line, this is the key point!
Regardless of whether it is foreign technology, as long as it is manufactured in India, it is an Indian product.
Nawal can fully declare to the outside world that this is a truly Indian brand.
If you take a few more factory photos, or take the media to the workshop for a tour, they will rush to help you put on the halo of the glory of domestic products.
Navar instantly thought of several ways to gain fame, provided that this plan was reliable.
"Are you sure that Soul Electric's TV production line will actually be launched?"
"Of course, our negotiations with foreign countries went smoothly. Otherwise, why would I spend so much money to build the Sur Park?"
Well, Ron just sent a simple inquiry fax, and the so-called negotiations were all fake.
But this did not affect his boasting about Sur Electric's grand plan. After all, getting land is not shabby.
“When is production expected to begin?”
"Two years."
"One year, I'll help you with the license and other approval procedures."
"Okay." Ron agreed immediately.
During his time in New Delhi, he had already understood the style of Indian officials, who were fond of ostentation and fame.
If you dare to say one year, he will ask you to shorten it to half a year, completely disregarding whether this conforms to objective laws.
Indian businessmen always agree to do so, also without regard for whether they can do it.
For them, the key is to get the license. No one knows when it will be achieved. That is not important.
Ron adapts to local customs. He dares to agree to work at a mine or a cement factory, so what's a TV factory?
He will first get the land by tricking others into giving him money, and then he will have countless reasons to respond to official inquiries.
"I approve this piece of land." Navarre made the decision immediately.
The money was taken, the project was not only reliable but also had gimmicks, so he, as the chief minister, was not ambiguous.
"That's great!" Ron high-fived. "Oh, Mr. Minister, the people of Mumbai will soon have their own televisions."
"You have to do this well." Naval instructed in a very stylish manner.
"Of course, of course. It's just that we owe the bank too much money for the TV production line. This piece of land in the Sur Park..."
At this time, the fat assistant took two steps forward and whispered a number in Navarre's ear: three million.
That was the money Ron had just put in his travel bag, and the fat man had already counted it.
"The Sur Industrial Park plan concerns Mumbai, no, it concerns the industrial development of the entire state of Maharashtra. You only need to pay one-third of the stipulated amount for the 200 acres of land, and the money can be repaid in five years."
"Mr. Minister, you are truly far-sighted!" Ron shook Navarre's hand and spoke incoherently with excitement.
The land that was worth 70 to 80 million rupees now costs less than 30 million, and it can be paid in five years.
Alas, the Minister’s kindness is not over yet!
After coming out of Nawal's official residence, Ron felt refreshed. The air in New Delhi was not that bad.
"Ron, we gave away millions again this time." Ratan said gloomily.
"Do you feel like you've lost out?"
"It's just 200 acres, and he dared to charge us 3 million rupees. In Uttar Pradesh, 1 million rupees is enough, and the land itself is free."
"Mumbai is the Garuda in many people's hearts, so it's normal for it to be a bit expensive."
Ron gave away three million, but saved even more, four or five million rupees, a difference of more than ten times.
In India, don't be stingy about giving money to officials. They will use state resources to compensate you for your efforts.
For Nawal, the price the government gets for the land is none of his business, as he can't put the money in his pocket.
Three million rupees is the real thing. Whether the land in Mumbai is sold for 100 million rupees or 10 million rupees is all up to him.
This is a form of monetization, a win-win situation between businessmen and politicians.
Who loses? My great India says, basic operation, don't be stupid.
Back in the car, Ratan still looked regretful about the bribe he had just received.
"Man, you even gave away your gold watch."
"It's easy to meet the King of Hell, but hard to deal with the little devils."
“We can’t let them make it a habit.”
"That's right, so we need to make friends with higher-ranking figures."
"Then only Zongli is left." Ratan looked at the dome of Zongtong Mansion with a sarcastic look on his face.
"Look over there." Ron pointed out the window.
"What?"
"The statue."
To be more precise, it is a group of statues. At the front is Mahatma Gandhi, holding a cane. Behind him are his people, following him out of the darkness and into the light.
Ratan squinted at the statue.
"What's the matter? I've seen it many times."
"We had just given a gift to a minister and now we were driving past a statue of Gandhi. It was such an irony, a joke."
"He must have seen this joke countless times every day, and he probably doesn't find it funny anymore."
"Yes, that's our system."
"Never mind that. Things in India are just so complicated. What I'm more concerned about now is when we can return to Uttar Pradesh."
"Anytime, but it would be best if someone from the family were stationed in New Delhi."
"I don't want to come to this kind of damn place again. Let someone else come."
Ron has three uncles, each of whom has several children, making a family of more than a dozen people.
There are many people willing to come to New Delhi, but young people like Ratan who don't like the world are the exception.
"By the way, are you familiar with that Chada?" Ron asked.
"He is from Moradabad. His ancestors came from the north and only moved to Uttar Pradesh in the 1960s."
"North?"
"Yes, Baba Sheep."
There is basically only one religion there. Sikhism like Chadha or other Hinduisms cannot survive there at all.
"He seems to have some gang background." Ron had seen his men and they didn't seem like easy targets.
"Brother, we are from Uttar Pradesh. Doing business in Uttar Pradesh is impossible without guns."
"Well, I should have thought of that. Liquor licenses are incredibly hard to get, even harder than mining."
"Don't look at that guy because he's disabled. He's got a strong character and is very decisive. His two younger brothers are no match for him."
"He's really capable." Ron nodded, judging by the demeanor the other party showed when they first met him.
"Don't talk too much about what happened last night. There is no need for us to offend the Chadha family for a beggar." Ratan reminded him.
"Of course, I'm just asking which people in the future in the North need special attention."
"Let's talk about this issue slowly when we get back." Ratan patted Ishan in front of him and signaled him to speed up.
"By the way, his car is nice." Ron thought of the extended version of the Cadillac.
"Are you moved?"
"You know, Indians are very particular about ostentation."
"Wow, that's going to cost a fortune."
"Forget it, our next focus is the cement factory. Let's get rich first, then buy a car."
All the formalities have been completed and the Uttar Pradesh Bank has also given a reply.
Now, Ron is starting his own mining business.
(End of this chapter)
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