At the Wednesday board meeting which named Bhaskarudu for the post, there were no representatives from Suzuki, which owns 50 per cent of the company—the other half owned by the government. The Japanese corporation claims it hadn't been informed of the meeting in time.
But Suzuki made its displeasure evident soon enough. In a statement released from Tokyo late Thursday, Suzuki president Osama Suzuki said: "It is extremely regrettable that the Indian government notified us of an appointment of a person who Suzuki believes is not suitable for the post of a joint company." He thinks the Indian government was wrong in naming Bhaskarudu without consulting its Japanese partner. Said Suzuki: "The appointments of top management should be discussed and agreed between partners of the joint venture at least two months in advance." And Suzuki's wrath was obvious since it was throwing its weight behind executive director and marketing chief Jagdish Khattar for the post.
But clearly, Suzuki is on weak ground this time round, for it's the Indian government's turn to nominate a person for MUL's hot seat. Industries Minister Murasoli Maran is unlikely to relent. Besides, Bhaskarudu, having been the joint MD of MUL, is the natural choice; he also has one of the cleanest records among MUL's top managers.
With both sides bent upon putting their own foot forward, the Maruti AGM on September 22 to ratify the appointment promises to be a stormy affair.
