Maruti union to support AAP in Delhi Assembly elections

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party continues to win over workers in the capital with Maruti Suzuki union extending its support to Arvind Kejriwal’s party for the upcoming Delhi elections. Earlier auto taxi union in Delhi had declared its affiliation to AAP. Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union, the recognized union of Maruti Suzuki India at Gurgaon, on Tuesday said workers from its car manufacturing plant and group companies will support AAP for the December 4 elections because of its anti-corruption stance.

“We have decided to support AAP and its candidates for it is the only political party that has at least made a determined and strong commitment to go against corruption,” Kuldeep Janghu, general secretary at Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union, said. “I have appealed to all the workers, labours and employees of Maruti and its group companies to support clean politics and honest candidates.”

Maruti Suzuki has India’s largest car manufacturing facility at Gurgaon with almost a million cars coming out of the plant. More than 20,000 people work in the plant every day and a majority of them reside in Delhi, Janghu said.

The union’s action could create some tension with Maruti Suzuki management that has always been against politicalisation of its union and have told workers to remain neutral. The company refused to comment on the union’s decision to support AAP.

Meanwhile, as election fever has gripped Delhi, political activity has become intense across manufacturing plants in the National Capital Region, particularly Gurgaon where a number of such units exist.

Janghu said workers at several smaller manufacturing units of component makers too have extended to support and that the Maruti union has requested all employees, workers and labours from various trade unions to support and vote for AAP. “We have also tapped smaller Maruti suppliers across Delhi as far as Narela in North Delhi to extend support to AAP and its candidates to cleanse the political system,” he said.

Maruti Suzuki itself operates a few dozen joint-ventures in the vicinity including Caparo, Jai Bharat Maruti, Krishna Maruti and Bharat Seats that are dedicated suppliers to the carmaker and employs are sizeable number of workers.