By Aditya Kalra and Praveen Paramasivam

NEW DELHI, June 29 (Reuters) - India's opposition

Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on

Saturday to question Foxconn about its hiring practices after

Reuters reported that the Apple ( AAPL ) supplier rejects married women

from iPhone assembly jobs in the country.

The government has sought a detailed report from the state

of Tamil Nadu, site of a major iPhone factory where Reuters

uncovered Foxconn's hiring practices. The story has sparked

debates on TV channels, newspaper editorials and calls from

women groups, including within Modi's party, to investigate the

matter.

Congress lawmaker Karti P. Chidambaram wrote in a letter to

Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya that Foxconn receives

"substantial incentives" from the federal government and the

company should be asked to explain its practices to ensure it

complies with "Indian laws and values".

"While foreign investment is crucial, it should not come at

the cost of disregarding our cultural values," Chidambaram wrote

in the letter, posted on X.

Apple ( AAPL ), Taiwan-based Foxconn and the

ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on

the Congress letter.

The Reuters investigation found Foxconn has systematically

excluded married women from jobs at its main India iPhone plant

on the grounds they have more family responsibilities than their

unmarried counterparts.

Foxconn hiring agents and HR sources cited family duties,

pregnancy and higher absenteeism as reasons for not hiring

married women.

Responding to the investigation, published on Tuesday, Apple ( AAPL )

and Foxconn acknowledged to Reuters lapses in hiring practices

in 2022 and said they had worked to address the issues. All the

discriminatory practices documented by Reuters at the

Sriperumbudur plant, however, took place in 2023 and 2024.

Foxconn said it "vigorously refutes allegations of

employment discrimination based on marital status, gender,

religion or any other form."

Apple ( AAPL ) said all its suppliers, including Foxconn, hire

married women and "when concerns about hiring practices were

first raised in 2022 we immediately took action and worked with

our supplier to conduct monthly audits to identify issues and

ensure that our high standards are upheld."

The Foxconn positions in India offer food and accommodation

and a monthly paycheck of about $200. In China, six online job

ads reviewed by Reuters showed workers engaged in iPhone

assembly at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant can earn $400 to $800 a

month. The ads did not mention marital status or gender

requirements.

"While they don't discriminate in China, can they do

whatever in India?," Vasuki Umanath of the Communist Party Of

India (Marxist), another Modi opponent, told Reuters on

Thursday.

"Labour unions, women's welfare organizations and democratic

forces should raise their voice against this discrimination."

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation

party said this week that action must be taken against what it

said were "exploitative and discriminatory (hiring) practice".