Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday defended his earlier remark claiming that people of other states were taking away jobs in his state, saying other states also have employment policies favouring local residents, PTI reported.
“Such a policy exists in other states also. Is it not there in Gujarat?” he told reporters in Bhopal. “What is new in it?”
Hours after taking oath on Monday, Nath had said only those industries that promote employment for locals will get incentives. “Our schemes of providing incentives of investment will only be imposed after 70% people from Madhya Pradesh get employment,” he had said. “People from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh come here and local people don’t get jobs. I have signed the file for this.”
Nath’s comments were criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party and several other parties. BJP’s Purvnachal Morcha workers on Tuesday staged a protest outside Nath’s house in New Delhi, defaced his nameplate, and demanded an apology from Nath.
An activist on Wednesday filed a complaint in a court against Nath for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh with his controversial comments. Social activist Tamanna Hashmi filed a petition before the Chief Judicial Magistrates court in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur under Sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code. Hashmi claimed to have felt aggrieved by Nath’s statement.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal on Wednesday criticised Nath and demanded that the Congress leader be summoned to Parliament to apologise for his remarks, IANS reported. Jaiswal, who represents Paschim Champaran constituency of Bihar, raised the matter during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha and said Nath should apologise as he himself hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city.
“Kamal Nath has tried to divide the country on the basis of region. The House must condemn it,” Jaiswal said. “He should be summoned to the Parliament and asked to apologise.”
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