Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad advised more than 90 first-time MLAs in Bhopal on Monday to be attentive, dedicated and know the importance of time in the Assembly. “Most people think becoming a politician or a legislator is the easiest. However, it’s the toughest,” he said.
“When those passionate about something are ready to sacrifice their lives for it, are politicians ready to do it? Do they love what they do?” he asked the legislators a day before the beginning of the Monsoon Session.
“They don’t,” he quipped. “That’s why people today disregard politicians with the same intensity with which they loved them after Independence.” Stating that for being a politician, one needed to sacrifice everything, he said legislators often didn’t stand by the oath they took on being elected.
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“We follow the common religion of politics which erases all other differences. The Constitution is our sacred text which we have to follow,” he said. Waving his phone, he added: “Don’t fall for rumours. Verify first. Our job is to douse the communal fire, not stoke it.”
Relating an anecdote from Jawaharlal Nehru’s life, he reminded the legislators to never stop learning, even if it means imbibing a quality from someone in the Opposition, and have no pride.