Gujarat Confidential: New Role

‘Political’ Internship

Congress MLA from Vadgam constituency Jignesh Mevani has announced an internship programme for youths to “understand politics and contribute to it.” Mevani made the announcement in a Facebook post. The MLA wrote, “People opine a lot about politics from the outside: Very few get to see it from the inside. And from the inside, things always appear clearer. I am starting an internship at my office in Vadgam, for anyone interested in understanding politics and contributing to it.”

“As an intern, you will research the issues that come to my desk and write them up. You will go to the villages, listen to people and do actual survey work. You will help with speeches and public communication,“ he added. Mevani has kept the duration of the internship flexible, saying, “You decide the duration: 3 months, 6 months or 1 year — whatever time you can give.”

Promising food, accommodation and travel from his office for the intern, Mevani said in the post, “I am not asking for a particular degree. I am asking for young people who will take the work seriously.”

‘Strategic’ Visit

Randeep Surejewala, the newly appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, will visit the state on September 12. His trip here will coincide with the ongoing Gujarat visit of the BJP’s new Gujarat in-charge, Tarun Chugh. Sources say the Congress has planned a “centrally strategised” plan for the 2027 Assembly elections, given the deep differences within the party’s state unit. (Leena Misra)

Shunning Plastic

As part of environmental conservation efforts, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has started a drive under which citizens can give one kilogram of plastic waste and get an idol of Lord Ganesha from collection centres at nine of its zones. The campaign has received an enthusiastic response from the people, officials said. The SMC’s Health Committee chairman, Ashok Randeriya, said that since the launch of the drive, in the past seven days, over 1,200 kg of plastic waste has been collected and 750 idols of Lord Ganesha, made of mud, were given to the people. “Keeping in mind more demands from the public, we ordered 500 more such idols and these will reach us in the next few days. Through such an initiative, we want to cultivate a habit among citizens not to use plastic material in day-to-day life,” Randeriya added. (Kamal Saiyed)