Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday reacted to Kamal Nath’s comment on Bihar and UP workers taking up jobs in Madhya Pradesh. (File) Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday reacted to Kamal Nath’s comment on Bihar and UP workers taking up jobs in Madhya Pradesh. (File)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s remark that people of the state were losing jobs to migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar has created an uproar, with many politicians slamming the Congress veteran for the “divisive” statement.

Akhilesh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party has lent support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, lashed out at Nath, who himself belongs to UP, saying that North Indians might decide which party would form the government at the Centre.

After assuming office in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, Nath had said workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh coming to the state for jobs had cut down employment opportunities for local youths, adding that his government would provide incentives to only those industries that give 70 per cent of their jobs to natives of the state.

Annoyed by the statement, Yadav said, “This is wrong. Often you get to hear the same from Maharashtra. Why have North Indians come here? Why have they taken up jobs here? Similar statements can be heard from Delhi & now from MP as well. What if the North Indians decide who’ll form government at the Centre?”

Akhilesh Yadav on MP CM Kamal Nath’s statement: It’s 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 & now from MP as well. What if North Indians decide who’ll form govt at centre? pic.twitter.com/aoHloobeK7 — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 18, 2018

It is pertinent to mention here that SP, along with BSP, had supported Congress in forming the government in Madhya Pradesh after the Grand Old Party stood two short of simple majority in the assembly elections. Congress won 114 seats in the 230-seat assembly, with BJP close behind with 109 seats.

Earlier in the day, BJP leaders too slammed the CM and termed his comment “divisive”. 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 said.

BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya reiterated the statement given by his colleague and accused Nath of promoting “divisive” politics and pitting one region against another. Vijaywargiya raised Nath’s “outsider” background and asked if his statement 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.

BJP leader Giriraj Singh and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, an MP from Bihar, also condemned Nath’s statement and said people from UP and Bihar had been contributing significantly in the development of Madhya Pradesh with their hard work.

(With inputs from PTI)

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