Reborn as a Police Officer in India

Chapter 576: Hating iron but not steel

“I know we have an advantage. I’m confident you can win the most seats by a single party in the upcoming Mabang local elections, but we can’t be careless,” Fia said. “After all, this place is dominated by established parties like the Shiv Sena, the BJP, and the MIC. We might not be able to win enough seats by ourselves, right? If we don’t have enough seats, the BJP will have to support us, and we’ll have to be the Chief Minister.”

Having the most seats does not necessarily guarantee a government; the total number of seats also matters.

Just like this time, although the People's Party has the most seats, it does not have a majority and does not meet the conditions for direct governance, so it needs to unite with other allies.

“Sister is right, we still can’t be careless,” Kanina said. “If we include the seats held by the People’s Party, then Mabang’s position as Chief Minister will be truly secure in the future.”

“In that case, let’s do the same for the other states. If we have enough seats to win the government, that would be best. If not, let the People’s Party’s seats support us. We want the government of several states, and in exchange, we can support the People’s Party to continue governing,” Rodon said.

That pretty much settled the plan for the next step.

They were just waiting for the people from the People's Party to come to them.

To Rodon's surprise, the Congress Party moved even faster than the People's Party.

This time, Rahul personally led the team; as the heir to the Congress Party, he held a transcendent status.

In Rodton's view, his political talent was mediocre, even inferior to that of his sister.

However, he is a man, and that is his advantage.

Therefore, he must inherit the glory of the Gandhi family.

Even if he were mediocre, the Congress Party would pour almost all its resources into him, and he could still achieve considerable success.

Even if you're not good enough yourself, having enough capable and skilled people to assist you can still achieve some results.

This significant increase in the Congress Party's seats came at a tremendous cost.

Of course, Rodon was well aware that the People's Party's rule over the years had also caused dissatisfaction among many people.

In the previous two general elections, the Congress Party did not even win 55 seats and was unable to obtain the power of the opposition leader.

That's because the Congress Party did so many terrible things during its time in power, things that everyone remembers vividly.

However, after the People's Party's two terms, the events of the Congress Party from almost a decade ago were gradually forgotten by everyone as time went by.

Instead, the messes caused by the People's Party have taken their place; after all, they are the most recent ones, and everyone remembers them vividly.

Therefore, the negative influence of the Congress Party has diminished considerably.

In addition, their efforts, regardless of cost, have resulted in a significant increase in the number of seats.

"Mr. Singh, what brings you here?" Rodon asked in surprise.

He thought it was just Rahul coming, but when he actually saw him, he realized that Manmohan Singh was also there.

The former prime minister is very old; he is 92 years old this year.

Rodton remembered that the end of this year should be his time.

Manmohan has largely disappeared from the public eye in recent years, likely due to his advanced age.

Unexpectedly, he came with Rahul this time.

Rodton quickly understood the Congress Party's thinking.

In retrospect, Manmohan can be considered a benefactor to me in my journey from poverty to where I am today.

They're asking Manmohan to come out of retirement now because they want to use that relationship to gain their support.

Unfortunately, it's unrealistic to expect him to support the Congress Party.

The gap in seats is simply too large.

I wouldn't do something so thankless and exhausting.

Rodon still showed respect to the old man.

Manmohan also greatly admired Rodon.

While Rodon's current situation is partly due to his connections, it is ultimately due to Rodon's own abilities.

Manmohan hadn't wanted to come, but he couldn't let go of the Congress Party matters, and with Rahul's mother's request, he had no choice but to come.

Manmohan didn't believe he could win over Rodon and gain the support of the People's Party simply by taking matters into his own hands.

This matter is of great importance.

Although the People's Party did not win a majority of seats this time, it gave the Congress Party hope of becoming the ruling party.

Many people believe that if the People's Party can be brought in, it can counterbalance the People's Party and perhaps even form a coalition government.

But these are all wishful thinking on the part of the Congress Party.

Of course, even if Manmohan thought that way, he still wanted to try.

Even if they can't win Rodon over, they can at least try to keep him neutral. Even if the People's Party is on the side of the People's Party, they need to make Rodon less hostile towards the Congress Party.

Putting aside the People's Party, Rodton's position as director of the Central Bureau of Investigation is definitely secure.

This position is still very important.

The People's Party failed to secure a majority of seats this time, meaning it is destined to be unable to suppress Director Rodon.

Everyone has witnessed the arrogance and domineering behavior of the law enforcement bureau over the years.

If the CBI can maintain a certain degree of neutrality, that would be lucky for these opposition figures.

In fact, the Central Bureau of Investigation is indeed like that, basically always going against law enforcement agencies.

Especially after Rodton took over from Wieders, the law enforcement agency found it much harder to target the CBI. Had the CBI not been excluded by the BJP, the Congress Party and other opposition groups would likely have faced even greater difficulties.

The two sides talked for several hours before Rahul and his party left.

Back home, Rahul was furious: "That kid Rodon is so arrogant, he doesn't give us any face at all. He even made so many demands, expecting us to support the Afghan Party's rule in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka......"

“Shut up,” Sonia snapped at Rahul, then asked Manmohan, “Mr. Singh, what’s the situation?”

Seeing his mother's displeasure, Rahul said nothing more.

Manmohan sighed inwardly.

He had seen Rahul's performance during his discussion with Rodon.

Rahul said some very inappropriate things.

It's fair to say that Rahul still maintains a certain air of superiority.

Keep in mind that they went there to win over Rodon, and Rahul failed to adopt a humble attitude. How could that be satisfactory?

Furthermore, Rodon clearly had no intention of forming an alliance with the Congress Party, and Rahul's attitude would certainly displease Rodon.

Rodon didn't show it on his face; he was still very enthusiastic when facing me.

In Manmohan's view, although Rahul was older than Rodon, he was no match for Rodon in terms of shrewdness.

Unfortunately, Sonia only had one son, so she could only support him to take the throne.

“I’m sorry, madam, Rodon did not agree,” Manmohan replied.

“As expected,” Sonia sighed.

The possibility of getting the People's Party to join her side was already very small, and she was prepared for that.

“However, Roton still left some loopholes,” Manmohan said.

"What do you mean?" Sonia's expression shifted as she asked.

Regarding the matter of recruiting the People's Party, people here are not optimistic about it.

Unless Rodon is a fool, he knows what to choose and will definitely choose the People's Party.

In other words, the Congress Party has little chance.

But not having the opportunity doesn't mean you don't have to do anything.

They still need to try their best to fight for it.

“We need to cooperate on the position of Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Rodon’s presence in the Central Bureau of Investigation is still advantageous to us,” Manmohan said.

“That kid made us agree to let him become the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, but he didn’t offer anything in return. He’s shameless. We shouldn’t have agreed to him so quickly. He’ll be begging us later,” Rahul said discontentedly.

Appointments to the Central Bureau of Investigation require a presidential announcement.

The president needs to consult with the opposition leader, and that's currently the Congress Party's side.

In other words, if the Congress Party opposes the appointment, it will likely be shelved.

"Do you think that even if we oppose Rodon's appointment, Rodon won't be able to control the CBI? Do you think we can use this to blackmail Rodon?" Sonia said with a grim expression.

She was so disappointed in her son that he said such outrageous things.

Luckily it happened in private; if outsiders had known, who knows what kind of rumors would have spread.

“If we object, Rodton won’t become the director,” Rahul insisted. “We can use one of those as a bargaining chip.”

When he was negotiating with Rodon, Manmohan didn't give him much of a chance to speak.

This was decided by her mother. Although she had gone there, the specifics would still be up to Manmohan; he was just an observer.

Therefore, he was unable to vent many of his grievances.

In his view, Manmohan was too weak in the face of Rodon.

It could be said that Rodon simply made the request, and Rodon agreed to everything.

However, Rodon did not give himself any definite promises.

This made him very unhappy.

Isn't this just a case of the Congress Party making sacrifices while Rodton reaps huge benefits without contributing anything?
He felt he could have been even tougher on his side.

After all, Rodon, as the bureau chief, also had a say in the matter.

"Use your brain and think it over!" Sonia was truly exasperated. Luckily, she had asked Manmohan to come out of retirement; otherwise, if the others and her son had gone, they would definitely have offended Rodon this time.

And he even threatened Rodton?
At this point, it would be good enough if Rodon didn't cause trouble for himself.

Perhaps the increase in seats has made his son a little arrogant again.

Fortunately, Manmohan went with her. Manmohan was a veteran of the Congress Party, and Sonia knew that even if her son was dissatisfied, he wouldn't dare to say much.

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to control their son at all, and even if they said something, their son probably wouldn't listen, and who knows what big trouble they might cause.

It can be said that the People's Party has surprised everyone as a dark horse this time.

The women of the Common People's Party all listen to Rodon, so Rodon's attitude is extremely important; this matter cannot be taken lightly.

(End of this chapter)