Maruti Heavy Vehicles Ltd - where Sonia Gandhi, now the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), was once on the board, alongside Sanjay Gandhi - was supplied with tender forms "under instruction", says cable 1976BOMBAY02104_b sent by the US Embassy in Mumbai on August 10, 1976.
The tender was for a "World Bank-financed tender for supply of 700 bus chassis and machine shop equipment" for the expansion of Mumbai's transport system."Maruti is neither bus-chassis producer, nor is known to represent any major foreign vehicle manufacturer. BEST (Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking) source was unable to identify reasons for Maruti's interest in the bid," the cable says.
Global automobile majors, including Sweden's Volvo and Saab, Britain's Leyland, Japanese firms Nissan, Mitsubishi and Toyota besides American Motors, Ford and General Motors (through Hindustan Motors), had also purchased bid documents for the tender, the cable adds.
Maruti also appeared in cable 1976NEWDE11152_b sent on July 30, 1976, from the US Embassy in New Delhi with regard to an Indian Airlines aircraft purchase deal.
"Embassy believes both British and Dutch governments have supported sales efforts of their aircraft. Embassy understand Maruti (in which Sanjay Gandhi has interest) is negotiating for BAC agency in India," the cable reads.
BAC stands for the British Aircraft Corporation, which was trying to sell its BAC 111-475 twin-jet aircraft for the deal, then estimated to be worth $105 million, according to the cable.
