Kamal Nath Defends ‘Outsiders’ Remark Despite Scathing Criticism

Narendra Tomar said he appeared to be unaware of existing rules that prioritise jobs for the native population.

Kamal Nath has said that jobs given to people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh deny employment to youth of his state.

(Photo: PTI)

At the centre of a controversy over his remarks insinuating that youths in his state were losing out on jobs to migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday, 19 December said other states including Gujarat also have policies giving employment preference to locals.

Defending his comments, Nath told reporters on Wednesday, “Such policy exists in other states also. Is it not there in Gujarat? What is new in it?”

Announcing a new state government policy under which industries availing investment incentives will need to give 70 percent employment to local youths, Nath had said, "Lot of industries are set up in which people from other states, like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, come to work. I do not want to criticise them, but the youth of Madhya Pradesh are deprived (of jobs)".

Political Parties Cry Foul

Highlighting Nath's "outsider" background, political parties and leaders on Tuesday, 18 December had termed "divisive" his claim that jobs given to people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh deny employment to youth of his state.

Criticising Nath, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said he appeared to be unaware of existing rules that prioritise jobs for the native population.

"He has also been a Union minister. He should be aware of these rules. What he is talking about is already in place... by making such a claim, he is misleading people," the BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh told reporters.

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya agreed with his colleague and accused Nath of promoting "divisive" politics and pitting one region against another.

Taking a dig at the chief minister, Vijaywargiya raised his "outsider" background and asked if the statement he has made should be implemented in politics too.

"Kamal Nath was born in Kanpur. He received his education in (West) Bengal. His business is spread across the country. He is now chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Such a statement does not behove him," the BJP leader, who is also from Madhya Pradesh, said.

Former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, an MP from Bihar, said people from his state and Uttar Pradesh have been working in different parts of the country and have played a role in the development of these states.

Such Comments Often Come from Maharashtra: Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Yadav, former CM of Uttar Pradesh and President of Samajwadi Party said that the statement made by Kamal Nath are wrong.

“Often you get to hear the same from Maharashtra. Why have North Indians come here? Why have they taken up jobs here? Same from Delhi and now from MP as well. What if North Indians decide who'll form government at centre?” he said.

Nath’s Comment Shows BJP, Cong are Two Sides of Same Coin: AAP

Nath's statement proves the allegations that the Congress and the BJP are two sides of the same coin when it comes to their attitude towards settlers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in other states, said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Dilip Pandey.

What the BJP did against people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Gujarat is being repeated in Madhya Pradesh by the Congress, he alleged.

"His statement will cause animosity against the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who earn their livelihood through a dignified way of hard work," Pandey said.

The AAP opposes all such divisive statements and will not allow any political party to indulge in such tactic in Delhi, he added.

Kamal Nath Shouldn't Go Shiv Sena Way: CPI

The Communist Party of India (CPI) asked newly-elected Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to not "follow the ideals" of the Shiv Sena, as moving from one state to another for employment was a common phenomenon.

"Kamal Nath should not follow the ideals of Shiv Sena of Maharashtra. He is a leader of (the) Congress. He must understand tradition of (the) Congress. (The) Congress can't go for parochial ideals," said CPI general secretary Atul Anjaan, who originally hails from Uttar Pradesh.

Anjaan said despite the fact that the most number of prime ministers were elected from Uttar Pradesh, it remained one of the poorest states in the country.

"(Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi is also elected to the Lok Sabha from UP. Rahul Gandhi must think such type of comments by the MP CM will be taken by the people of the state with a pinch of salt," Anjaan added.