The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has threatened to disrupt operations at the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport if locals, especially Marathi-speaking candidates, are not prioritised for jobs created by the project.

At a press conference on Monday, MNS Spokesperson Gajanan Kale cited a Right to Information (RTI) response which, he said, showed that CIDCO lacked a clear policy to reserve jobs for “sons of the soil.” Kale said the airport project, with four terminals, is expected to generate about 1 lakh jobs and alleged that recruitment for the first terminal is already sidelining local applicants.