I am a master in India

Chapter 341 Falling from Grace
The actual situation was more complicated than Ron had imagined. The first thing AIADMK's rival, DMK, did after taking office was to launch an investigation into Jayalalita.

Even their campaign manifesto was to expose, crack down on, and severely punish Jayalalita's corrupt practices.

Last year's wedding that shocked India was so eye-catching that Guinness World Records even awarded it a certificate for the largest wedding in history.

People throughout Tamil Nadu, including many viewers in South India, witnessed the event on television.

Just as Ron had expected, the public was shocked and in uproar by the grand wedding.

Anyone with half a brain knows that this wedding must have cost a fortune.

Although according to Indian custom, the bride's family is responsible for the wedding, Jayalalita's aura was simply too overwhelming.

In particular, her behavior back then, with chariot parades and temple speeches, turned it into her personal political show.

The public doesn't believe she didn't contribute money to her godson's wedding.

So here's the question: when Jayalalita took office in 91, he made a high-profile announcement that he would only take a salary of one rupee.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have accumulated any wealth, so what's the story behind this wedding?

The public began to have doubts, and the media fanned the flames from behind.

The matter began to escalate in a big uproar at the end of last year, and Jayalalita's public relations tactics at the time were a complete mess.

Instead of suppressing the matter, they exposed even more incriminating evidence.

This directly caused her image to collapse, and her public favorability plummeted.

If you walk the streets of Madras today, you'll see that the worship of "Grandma" has quietly disappeared.

Those posters, souvenir stalls, and shops displaying her image have either been removed or replaced.

Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that AIADMK only won 4 seats in the general election.

Now that DMK has taken power, they are practically revealing their hand and will do everything in their power to punish her.

During Jayalalita's rule, he was too domineering and high-profile, and DMK was suppressed to the point of being unable to raise its head.

The balance of power has shifted; now it's a matter of tit for tat.

When Ron rushed to Madras, it was already July, and Jayalalita had been ordered not to leave the country.

“Ron!” Kavia exclaimed in a panic.

"Don't worry, darling, things aren't that bad yet."

“This time is different, I can feel it.” Kavia gripped his arm tightly.

“Where’s your aunt?” Ron asked.

“There are police guarding her residence, and her every move is being watched.”

"You can't get in either?" Ron frowned.

"Yes, but you can't go every day."

"Good, at least we can still make some preparations."

"Ron, what are you going to do?"

“Give this to her,” Ron handed her a document, “and tell her that I have already made up the ten million dollars for the port tender. Everyone must keep the same story.”

"Okay, I'll go now."

"Wait, ask her again if there are any other important things, and I'll do my best to handle them."

"Darling, you're a savior!"

Kavia left in a hurry, while Ron considered his next move.

There is no doubt that the ten million US dollars awarded for the port bid was a huge loophole, and this account can definitely be found out if it is investigated.

Before Jayalalita's case is formally filed, they should quickly take remedial action.

Ten million dollars, four hundred million rupees—it's nothing to Ron.

There's no need to fight for this little bit of money. If it gets out, Jayalalita will be in even bigger trouble.

Fortunately, the Tamil Supreme Court has not yet accepted the case, and the opposing party, DMK, is only collecting evidence.

At the time, the two major parties were undergoing a power transition, and some of Jayalalita's ministers were still in office.

Upon receiving the call, Ron immediately contacted the Tamil Ministry of Commerce, and the accounts were settled.

His worst-case scenario was to first clear himself of any wrongdoing, and then leave the political struggles to his own devices.

This isn't him being selfish; it's for everyone's good.

He not only owns the Sur Electric Factory in Tamil, but also has a port business, and most of the construction projects are completed.

If DMK gets hold of something, the losses could be huge.

Ron has invested billions of rupees in this project.

He guessed that DMK would definitely not give up this opportunity, and that the factory and port would be the key targets of their investigation.

Kavia left in a hurry, and then returned in a hurry.

“Ron, your aunt said you acted just in time. But she told me to remind you not to forget about the television.”

"TV set?"

"It's the batch we bought for the wedding. She's worried that DKM will use that as leverage against us."

"Why?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"The price was too high that time."

“No, Kavia, are you mistaken? Sull televisions were the cheapest brand at the time.”

“Ron, things are complicated,” Kavia sighed. “It’s about that Darram.” “His adopted son?”

"Yes, it was the invoice he gave to the Ministry of Finance, and the price of the televisions on it was 18000 rupees each."

“Wait, 18000 rupees?” Ron was stunned. “He made a 3,000 rupee kickback on each machine?”

"Yes, my aunt only found out recently. You know, she dotes on him, and the people below didn't report it at the time."

Ron was dumbfounded. This troublesome adopted son was even acting as a middleman to make a profit.
He quoted Jayalalita the market price for those 50,000 television sets, around 15000 rupees per set.

This price is cheaper than other brands even without discounts; similar products are mostly around 17,000 to 18,000 rupees.

That Darrambauer is really something; he managed to raise the price of Suer TVs by a fifth, making them even more expensive than some joint-venture brand TVs!
Then, with a single transaction, he pocketed 150 million rupees in kickbacks from 50,000 television sets.

This guy is always up to some crazy tricks.

"Kavia, things are a bit complicated."

"what happened?"

"The purchase price was significantly higher than the market price, and DMK has every reason to say that your aunt took a kickback. There was insider trading involved, and Suer Electric might also be implicated."

"Ron, you're being investigated too?" Kavia asked anxiously.

One aunt is troublesome enough; I can't let my husband get involved too.

"Don't panic, Suer Electric still has its records."

"The bottom line? Ron, you mean..."

“The invoice issued by Suer Electric is for 15000 rupees, and we also have bank transfer records. If all else fails, I will have to hand over the accounts to the court.”

Ron's point was simple: the purchase price offered by Suer Electric was correct, and there was no insider trading.

Those were all Darram's private operations, and had nothing to do with Suer Electric, or even with Jayalalita.

The decision rests entirely with "Grandma's" will.

“That’s it!” Kavia made a decision immediately. “It’s all because that Dardam was greedy. He should be held responsible for this.”

She sold her aunt's adopted son without hesitation. He was just an outsider; how could he compare to her own man?
“I will prepare the accounts. Find an opportunity to talk to your aunt. Make sure she understands that Dam is only after her money and that he has lied to everyone about this.”

“I will persuade her; Auntie knows what to do.”

Sigh, Ron is really worried sick about this.

However, there are already countermeasures in place for most of the troubles that could involve him.

To reiterate, he needs to clear himself of any wrongdoing first, and then act according to his capabilities.

While they were busy cleaning up the mess, DMK wasn't idle either, completing the power transfer in the shortest possible time.

Most of the ministers under Jayalalita were ousted from their offices, and the DMK took full control of Tamil State.

In August, after gathering sufficient evidence, DMK formally filed a lawsuit against Jayalalita and his gang in court.

They filed a total of 48 charges, listing all the insider trading activities Jayalalita engaged in from the time he took office in 91 until his resignation in 96.

They engage in large-scale real estate purchases, acquire properties disproportionate to their known sources of income, and use cronyism to benefit certain businessmen.

There was also the undervaluation of state-owned resources; Jayalalita used a front to acquire a small company under the Tamil industrial sector.

The company's land, buildings, and equipment were valued at over 6 million rupees, but the final transaction price was only a few million.

Furthermore, the imported coal she approved also had major problems, directly causing the Bang Coal Company to lose more than 7 million rupees.

In addition, she received kickbacks in several land transactions, earning more than 4 million rupees from this business alone.

Tamil Minerals Ltd also gave her money, about 3 million rupees, with the aim of acquiring a granite mine at a low price.

There are many other minor issues, such as relaxing policies for hotels that violate regulations.

Madras stipulated that buildings could not exceed two stories, but as a result, seven- or eight-story hotels were everywhere, rendering the regulation ineffective.

Of course, among these accusations are questions raised about Suer Electric and the port.

The main issues are acquiring land at low prices and insider trading in port auctions.

As expected, DMK didn't overlook the television purchase deal that Jayalari was worried about either.

Ron's name inevitably appeared in Tamil newspapers, and many reporters were interested in him, such as the Poom TV station in Maran.

He actually wanted to interview Ron to discuss whether the allegations in the newspapers were true.

Tsk, this guy's got a knack for kicking someone when they're down.

It is said that Poom TV has also reached an agreement with the Tamil State judiciary to provide full coverage of Jayalalita's case.

Ron suspected Maran was doing it on purpose, after all, his aunt had once fought with Jayalalita for his uncle's political inheritance.

As a member of his aunt's family, he had reason to want Jayalalita to fall from power.

Most importantly, this is a sensational event that would greatly benefit Poom TV and may allow it to expand smoothly to other parts of South India.

Ron is prepared to suspend the partnership between Suer Electric and Poom TV to bring him to his senses.

As for the two charges DMK leveled against him, Ron wasn't worried at all.

Acquire land at a low price? Are you kidding me? It's not low price, it's free!

But do you think only Suer Electric benefited from this policy? BMW, Daimler, Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Wright, Hyundai, and Yamaha didn't spend a single penny on land!

This is supposed to be attracting investment, right? Ron said matter-of-factly.

As for the port and television set procurement projects, he was not afraid either.

However, at this time, the public's attention was focused on Jayalari, with the allegations against her assets being the most eye-catching.

(End of this chapter)