I'm a Master in India

Ron had met Thackeray before, several months ago.

He didn't know why this big shot from Shiv Sena suddenly thought of him again, but he had to meet him eventually.

For no other reason than the fact that the other party was now the de facto power player in Mumbai.

A single word from him could even cancel the celebration of a traditional festival.

Although Shiv Sena was not a political party, its existence was no different from a parallel government.

The services of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation were so unreliable as to be virtually non-existent; it was Shiv Sena that replaced it, becoming the essential bridge for citizens to receive public welfare.

Shiv Sena branch buildings, scattered throughout Mumbai, each had a leader stationed there.

They sat behind desks, listening to requests from the populace like the Princely State rulers of old.

They weren't perfunctory; on the contrary, they diligently mediated various conflicts, working late into the night.

There were disabled people applying for typist positions, residents hoping for electricity in their homes soon, and quarrelsome couples requesting mediation...

Outside these buildings, there were also ambulances parked, hundreds of them distributed across the city.

Drivers were on standby at all times, ready to transport critically ill patients from the slums to the hospital, charging only a token fee.

Honestly, Shiv Sena's approach was more reliable than the Mumbai government's public sector.

They had won the support of a considerable portion of the populace, which also caused Thackeray's prestige to grow day by day.

Ron suspected that the devotion of Thackeray's subordinates to him surpassed that of religion.

Indians loved creating gods too much, and often easily fell into blind worship.

It wasn't just ordinary people; even government public sectors, politicians, and police were all like this.

The increasing number of police cars in front of the villa deep within Kalagar Road was proof of this.

This was Ron's second visit here, and besides more police, their ranks were also higher.

Various vehicles were parked outside the villa gate, including police cars, luxury cars, sports cars, and ambassador cars of all types.

Entry, as usual, involved a security check, and bodyguards like Anil were directly stopped at the gate.

The weather was too hot, and under a large tree in the courtyard, many bodyguards, drivers, and other attendants were seeking shelter; they had all come with the important figures visiting Thackeray.

Whether you were a politician, a businessman, or however rich and powerful, you had to follow the rules when you came here.

Waving for Anil and the others to comply, Ron walked alone towards the white marble steps.

Before he even entered the living room, he bumped into a figure rushing out.

"Dr. Sur, hello."

"Mr. Shah? Hello."

Ron was first surprised, then smiled and shook his hand.

"Sur Electric is the pride of Mumbai; thank you for your contributions to this city."

Shah's smile was warm, and his tone was friendly.

"This is also thanks to the government's support. We benefit mutually and are both contributing to Mumbai's stability."

"That's right," he patted Ron's arm affectionately, "There's a party at the racecourse next Friday. Are you free?"

"Of course, I'd be delighted."

"Then we'll talk again then."

Shah said goodbye and turned to leave.

His assistant and driver jogged from under the tree towards the entrance, making sure to open the car door before Shah arrived.

Chandra Shah, the current Mayor of Mumbai, and also a member of the Maharashtra Assembly Committee.

He was of the Shudra caste, a native of Maharashtra.

His ability to become the mayor of India's largest metropolis was entirely due to the "caste equality" policy implemented by the Congress Party in the 90s.

Otherwise, someone of a lower caste would never have been able to climb to today's position.

If it were just these things, it wouldn't be worth Ron's surprise.

Mayor Shah had another identity: a member of the Congress Party.

It was well known that Shiv Sena and the BJP were close allies; the former was almost the latter's spokesperson in Mumbai.

But now, a member of the Congress Party was eagerly coming to visit Thackeray's villa.

Tsk, the power of this Shiv Sena big shot was growing deeper day by day.

Led by a servant, Ron entered the living room, where a young woman was waiting.

"Dr. Sur."

She walked over to greet him, getting very close.

"Hello, Mrs. Thackeray."

This young woman was Thackeray's daughter-in-law; Ron had met her once before.

She was a charming woman; whenever her eyes looked at you, it seemed like she was flirting.

Ron subtly took a step back.

He always felt she was getting too close and was too enthusiastic.

The rumors between this father-in-law and daughter-in-law had almost become an open secret.

He had no interest in getting involved with this young woman.

Putting aside Thackeray's power, Ron wasn't short of readily available women himself.

Wumila, Manisha, weren't they more appealing?

Their looks crushed this promiscuous woman by countless times.

"Is Mr. Thackeray free now?"

Ron went straight to the point, so she wouldn't ramble on.

"Father-in-law is in the study.

He said Dr. Sur doesn't need to wait and can go straight in."

"Thank you."

Ron followed her into the study.

It was the same reception room as last time.

The slender Thackeray was sitting behind the desk.

On that desk were two eye-catching plaques, one smaller white one and another larger golden one.

Words were written on them in Marathi.

Translated, they roughly meant, "Summoned to fight, fight to win, deeply pleases my heart!" and "Dare to disobey, do not see me."

This was clearly a military style, living up to Shiv Sena's reputation.

Two people were standing in front of Thackeray's desk.

One was Councillor Kapoor, whom Ron had met before.

The other was a dark-skinned middle-aged man, somewhat familiar.

Seeing Ron enter, he clenched his teeth, grinding them audibly.

His hateful gaze seemed as if he wanted to swallow the person in front of him alive.

Ron was bewildered.

What kind of deep-seated hatred did this guy have for him to be like this?

Wait...

"Dr. Sur, I heard there was some unpleasantness between you two?"

Thackeray asked.

"Who?"

Ron looked at the two people beside him.

"Besides Councillor Kapoor, this gentleman and I seem to be meeting for the first time?"

"Sur, you did a good job!"

The middle-aged man finally exploded.

"My factory was destroyed by you!"

"What are you talking about!"

Ron frowned.

"You just walked in and you're making me responsible for your factory?

What, do I look like a scapegoat?

I don't even know your name!"

"Who else but you?

Everyone in Mumbai knows we are rivals!"

"Sur Electric has no rivals.

You think too highly of yourself."

"You..."

"Quiet!"

Thackeray interrupted angrily.

"Do you think this is a marketplace?

Shouting and yelling."

The few people in the room fell silent.

Ron mused to himself, so they had come to Thackeray to seek justice.

Thackeray's daughter-in-law walked over with a cup of milk tea.

After personally feeding him a sip, Thackeray spoke again.

"What exactly happened, Dr. Sur?

Did you send people to smash his factory?"

he asked.

"Of course not!

I don't even know this gentleman's name.

This is our first meeting."

Ron flatly denied it.

"Baniya, what do you say?

Is this your first meeting?"

Thackeray asked.

"Yes, but regarding this matter, there's no one else but him!"

Baniya insisted.

"Where's the evidence?

You can't just say whatever you want, can you?"

Ron spread his hands.

"My factory workers can testify that someone heard them shouting your slogan."

"My workers can also testify that it wasn't me," Ron chuckled.

"It's simply absurd."

Thackeray glanced at each of them and said sternly, "When we do things and speak, we must have evidence.

Otherwise, what's the difference between us and those idiots in court?"

"Agreed!"

Ron nodded.

"Even the police have to follow rules.

I still don't even know what happened to Mr. Baniya's factory."

"It was smashed by a bunch of thugs!"

Baniya glared at him fiercely.

"And then?

You suspect it was me?

There must be a reason, right?"

"I just said, we are rivals, and my factory was just about to launch..."

Baniya stopped.

Ron looked at him with a half-smile.

"Are you talking about the water cooler that imitates Sur Electric?

Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to it."

Hearing Ron say this, Thackeray also suddenly remembered the recent reports in the newspapers.

"You brat, plagiarizing other people's achievements is truly pathetic.

You've lost face for the entire Indian nation!"

"I..."

Baniya stammered, unable to speak.

"Stand up straight!

What's wrong with you, have you gone stupid?"

Thackeray scolded.

Baniya lowered his eyes, not daring to look at him.

This tiger had the power to cover the sky with one hand; a single word from him could leave Baniya with no place to stand in Mumbai.

Mumbai's laws were virtually non-existent for Thackeray; the police throughout Maharashtra followed only his lead.

He was like the Grand Emperor Emeritus of Maharashtra.

"Dr. Sur, you are truly not related to this matter?"

he asked.

"May Lord Shiva be my witness, my workers did not leave the factory for a single step, and I did not instruct anyone to damage Mr. Baniya's factory."

"Alright, I believe you.

Dr. Sur is a good person."

Thackeray nodded.

Baniya beside him grew anxious.

"Those people were clearly shouting the Sun God's slogan... No, it was Sur's name!"

"If bad people pray to Lord Shiva before doing evil, should Lord Shiva also be responsible for it?"

Ron immediately retorted.

"That makes sense," Thackeray pointed to the newspaper on the desk.

"So many people regard Dr. Sur as a holy teacher.

If they do bad things, should Dr. Sur be responsible?"

"But..."

Baniya wanted to say something, but Thackeray interrupted him with a hand gesture.

"Dr. Sur is a hero of Mumbai; he wouldn't do such a thing.

Everything you're saying is just a manifestation of your guilty conscience.

You don't even have a shred of reliable evidence."

Baniya's lips moved twice, still unwilling to accept it.

"Do you have anything else to say?

Do you expect me to handle things according to your ideas?"

Thackeray's eyes widened.

"Of course not, Mr. Thackeray!

It's just... my factory... that's the fruit of so many years of my hard work!"

Baniya was in tears.

He had come from being a poor country boy to where he was today, having endured too many hardships.

As a result of an unexpected disaster, more than half of his fortune was completely lost.

How could he accept this?

To promote his water cooler brand, Baniya had spent a lot of money, millions of rupees just on bribes and advertising fees.

Now...

"Alright, for Mr. Thackeray's sake, I have a proposal that everyone can relatively accept."

Ron's acting skills burst forth, putting on a look of sympathy.

Thackeray and Baniya both looked up, their eyes filled with surprise as they watched him.