The new "Group Security and Liaison" division, which the inner circle had started calling "The Shield," began to prove its worth. The legal victory against the smear campaign was a public demonstration of force, while the quiet neutralization of Bishan in Uttar Pradesh showed a more subtle, strategic capability. The Patel Group was no longer a soft target.
However, a sovereign does not win wars with a shield alone. He needs a spear.
The spear was thrust into Harsh's hands from an unexpected direction: the central government in Delhi. The success of the "Krishi Mitra" device and the positive press from the Patel Foundation's educational initiatives had not gone unnoticed in the highest corridors of power. An invitation arrived, not from a minister, but from the Prime Minister's Office itself. Harsh Patel was summoned for a private briefing.
The meeting was held in a spartan, secure room in South Block. The Prime Minister, a man known for his economic pragmatism and steely resolve, got straight to the point.
"Mr. Patel, your... integrated approach is unique," the PM began, his eyes sharp and assessing. "You build chips, you build roads, you sell to farmers. You are either a visionary or a madman. My advisors tell me you are the former."
Harsh remained silent, waiting.
"The world is changing," the PM continued. "This 'internet' you have invested in abroad. It is a wave. I do not wish for India to be left standing on the shore. We have a new national priority: 'India Digital.' We need a domestic partner. A company that understands technology, manufacturing, and can execute on a national scale. My bureaucrats tell me there is only one such company."
This was the moment. The sovereign was being offered not just a contract, but a mandate. The spear.
"The project has two parts," the PM explained. "First, the hardware. We need to deploy a massive number of rugged, affordable computer terminals in post offices, government schools, and village council offices across the country. They must be simple, durable, and capable of connecting to a central network."
Harsh's mind raced. This was a project of unimaginable scale, a perfect fit for Bharat Electronics' manufacturing might and the "Sanskrit" project's goal of a low-cost, powerful processor.
"The second part is the network itself," the PM said. "The laying of a national fiber-optic backbone. A digital highway. Your Patel Infrastructure division is one of the few entities in the country with the capability to manage such a project."
It was the ultimate synergy. Bharat Electronics would provide the hardware. Patel Infrastructure would build the network. The entire Patel Group would be the engine for India's digital transformation.
"There will be resistance," the PM warned. "From foreign competitors. From our own bureaucratic inertia. And from those who profit from keeping India in the dark."
Harsh finally spoke, his voice calm and certain. "We are prepared, Mr. Prime Minister. We have the capability. And we have the will."
The meeting ended with a handshake that was more than a formality. It was an alliance.
Harsh returned to Mumbai, the weight of a nation's digital future on his shoulders. He immediately convened his council. He presented the "India Digital" mandate not as an opportunity, but as a national duty and the ultimate validation of their diversified model.
Deepak's eyes shone with a fierce light. The "Sanskrit" processor now had a purpose worthy of its ambition. Vikram saw the challenge of a lifetime—to weave a digital nervous system across the entire subcontinent. Even Sanjay saw his role: to craft the message that would explain this digital leap to every Indian.
The Shield had protected them long enough to be seen as a reliable partner. Now, the sovereign was being handed the spear. The Patel Group was no longer just a business; it was an instrument of national policy. The empire had been offered a purpose greater than profit, and Harsh knew that in fulfilling it, they would achieve a dominance that no amount of money could ever buy. The ground war was over. The war for India's digital soul had just begun.