UP-wala Kamal Nath gets trolled on his jobs-for-locals scheme

NEW DELHI: One of the very first announcements made by new Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has kicked up a controversy. Nath on Monday announced that schemes providing incentives of investment would only be imposed after 70 per cent people from MP get employment.

"Our schemes of providing incentives of investment will only be imposed after 70 per cent people from MP get employment. People from states like Bihar and UP come here and local people don't get jobs. I have signed the file for this," Nath said at his first press conference as CM yesterday.

When asked to comment on this, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, a Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh, said he would discuss the issue with Nath.


However, Nath was criticised on social media for his remark because he himself was born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh. "Kamal Nath saying people from UP are taking away Madhya Pradesh jobs. Isn't he from Kanpur?" wrote a Twitter user.


Another Twitter user took a dig at Nath saying Nath the outsider from Uttar Pradesh had snatched the job of a local, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Congress leader who was pipped to the post by Nath in the race to the chief minister's post.



However, many Twitter users pointed out that Madhya Pradesh would not be the first state to have such a policy. Maharashtra already has a policy to incentivise companies that give more jobs to locals.

In October this year, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani had announced that his government intended to enact a new law making it mandatory for industrial units in Gujarat to give 85 per cent of jobs to persons domiciled in Gujarat.