New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP MPs on Sunday to shun any negativity and work with a positive mindset so as to win over even those who did not vote for the party.
In his address at the concluding session of the two-day training programme for over 380 party lawmakers, he also referred to the next Lok Sabha election, scheduled for 2024, and told them to nurse their constituencies in a way that they can retain them on the strength of their work and conduct, sources said. He cited his own clean record to urge the members of Parliament to keep their personal and professional conduct above board, according to MPs who attended the meeting.
The prime minister asked the MPs to give ample time to their families but shun "parivarvaad" (dynasty politics), they said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters that Modi asked MPs to not entertain negative thoughts about their rivals or those who did not vote for them. He asked them to work and conduct themselves in such a way that even those who did not vote for them are won over.
"You should work for everybody's welfare. You should be positive and shun any negative thoughts about those who did not vote for the party. Looking at your work and conduct, they will get closer to you," he quoted Modi as saying. The prime minister asked the MPs to focus on people's participation and pro-people policies, while overlooking politics, in the interest of their constituencies and the nation, Joshi said. A BJP MP said Modi spoke like a "guardian" and touched on issues related to political, ideological as well as personal aspects of their lives.
Turning his attention to the next Lok Sabha polls, he asked MPs to identify booths where they did not fare well and work to strengthen their presence there. His speech, the sources said, also focused on proper conduct by MPs, and Modi in this context mentioned his own long tenure in government, earlier as Gujarat chief minister and now as prime minister. He asked the MPs to stand in queues with public and speak appropriately.
Modi chose to sit among the MPs in one of the back rows during the meeting. BJP working president J P Nadda said in a tweet that Modi reiterated his mantra of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' and asked party leaders to work for everyone in a similar way. BJP vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe conducted a session on self-development for the lawmakers while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke on the party's contribution to the country.
A book titled "Sanskritik rashtravad ke shilpi" (Architects of cultural nationalism), a collection of BJP president Amit Shah's speeches on personalities ranging from Chanakya to party founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, was also released. Shah, who is the Union Home Minister, did not attend the meeting as he remained busy with official work related to Jammu and Kashmir, the sources said.
