When YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy enacted a legislation in the state assembly seeking to provide 75 per cent reservation in jobs for locals, the opposition parties raised a hue and cry.
Telugu Desam Party described it as a retrogressive step and his favourite media wrote several articles questioning the move.
Even the national media found fault with Jagan for bringing this legislation saying it would adversely affect the investment climate in the country.
In fact, on Thursday, too, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu raised this issue and alleged that Kia Motors had planned to shift its base from Anantapur to Tamil Nadu because of this clause of 75 per cent quota for locals.
“Local YSRC leaders have been bringing pressure on Kia Motors to give jobs to their party supporters. If Karnataka, Gujarat and other states also impose the same rule, will our Telugu youth get jobs there?” he asked.
Around the same time, Karnataka government led by B S Yeddyurappa also came up with a proposal for providing 75% reservation for Kannadigas in government and private jobs in his state.
Karnataka labour minister S Suresh Kumar announced that the state government was soon going to prepare a draft legislation on 75 per cent quota for locals in factories, shops, commercial establishments, MSMEs and joint ventures, besides government recruitments.
He said though the government would not want to discriminate against any section, but had taken a decision only in the interest of the Kannada people who feel they are being discriminated against.
“They feel they are not getting jobs in the state, as people from other states were knocking away their opportunities,” he said.
Not just Karnataka, even Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat governments are planning to follow Andhra model to address the unemployment in the locals.
Now, what will Naidu say about this?