Don’t get disillusioned over small things, don’t voice differences with colleagues publicly and treat the rule book of Parliament as the Bhagwad Gita — these were some pieces of advice that Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to 161 newly-elected Members of Parliament of the BJP on Saturday.
“I am also a first time MP,” the Prime Minister told them. “I will also seek the help of seniors to learn the procedures and etiquettes of Parliament,” he said.
In the two-day conference that started on Saturday in Surajkund, a Haryana town near Delhi, senior party leaders Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj will train the new entrants.
Mr. Modi has already communicated to the MPs that they are not expected to interfere in government matters and perhaps in an attempt to keep them in good humour, he said they could approach him any time.
He told them to realise that with the transition from Opposition to the treasury benches, they had bigger responsibilities. “There is no full stop in politics,” he said, reminding them to not be disillusioned by setbacks. “To be a Member of Parliament is an important thing and one must look at it seriously. Remember, people are observing your performance not only in the House but even outside,” he said. “We are a family and all are working for a common goal. Try to make new friends, learn from each other and develop a new collectivism,” he said, appealing to them to eschew all kinds of negativism.
