'Locals should get preference': Kamal Nath sticks to his remark on UP, Bihar migrants

Sticking to his claim that people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh deny employment to youth of his state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday said there was nothing new in his remark as this situation exists everywhere.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath waves at the crowd during his swearing-in-ceremony, in Bhopal on Monday. PTI Photo

BHOPAL: Sticking to his claim that people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh deny employment to youth of his state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday said there was nothing new in his remark as this situation exists everywhere. “This is everywhere, in other states as well. When did I say anything new? Locals should get preference,” Nath was quoted by ANI as saying when asked about this previous comment on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Kamal Nath told reporters after taking office on Monday that his government will provide incentives to industries that give 70 per cent of their jobs to those from his state and indicated that people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh get employment in Madhya Pradesh at the cost of the local population. Nath had faced intense criticism from the BJP, SP and RJD for his remark. Taking umbrage at Kamal Nath's assertions, BJP national General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya accused the Congress of playing divisive politics.  "Kamal Nath was born in Uttar Pradesh and it doesn't suit him to speak against people of the state where he was born. It is unfortunate that the Congress is indulging in divisive politics seeking to pit one region against the other," said Vijayvargiya. Union Minister Giriraj Singh also demanded Kamal Nath's and Gandhi's apology.  "I want to ask the Congress whether they believe in federalism or not, Both Kamal Nath and Rahul Gandhi must apologise to the nation particularly to the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for this," said Singh. Giriraj Singh said Nath was speaking the language of MNS chief Raj Thackeray and demanded Gandhi's apology for the remark. He said people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh contributed their mite to wherever they went and wanted to know whether India was a union of states or not. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said earlier such remarks used to emanate from Maharashtra about workers and businessmen from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and now it had come from Madhya Pradesh. "What Kamal Nath has said is very wrong. First people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were targeted in Maharashtra and now same is happening in Madhya Pradesh, this is unfortunate," SP supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said. RJD spokesperson and MP, Manoj Jha, said Kamal Nath's remarks would go against the idea of India and appealed to the Congress party to exercise caution on the issue. "If what Kamal Nath said is true then the remarks are very unfortunate. Such things destroy the very idea of India and reflect a narrow political mindset. I would urge the Congress leaders to refrain from saying such things," said the RJD spokesperson. Congress MP Sushmita Deb said she was confident that Kamal Nath would clarify the issue and added as far she knew him he could never speak like this. Kamal Nath was at the forefront in steering the Congress to a win in the assembly polls. He was administered the oath of office by Governor Anandiben Patel on Monday. The Congress won 114 assembly seats and secured the support of seven more MLAs - SP (1) and BSP (2) and four independents - to cross the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member Assembly.