From mindfulness to fitness to warning them against malpractices: Modi’s dos & don’ts for Mahayuti MLAs

Modi also advised the legislators to firm up a five-year development plan for their constituencies and start preparations for the next election from today itself.

The PM held a 40-minute interactive session with the newly elected BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP MLAs at the INS Angre Auditorium in Mumbai. The session saw Modi listing dos and don’ts to the MLAs from his personal experiences. “It was one-of-a-kind session where Modi was not speaking from a high pedestal. Instead, he spoke like an ‘organisational secretary’, which is the most important post in any organisation, advising the MLAs to keep the overall welfare of the people in mind,” a source said.

Interestingly, Modi, on a couple of occasions, referred to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as “Devabhau” — a term which had become popular during the Assembly polls campaign.

Modi emphasised that the MLAs should conduct themselves in public with transparency and accountability.

Stressing the importance of maintaining cordial relations with officials, Modi said, “Politeness always works. Even in your individual constituencies, try and reach out to your opponents with the same concern and politeness.”

The advice that appealed to majority of the MLAs related to the PM’s message on fitness and health. “Modiji told the MLAs to be careful about their own health and that of their family members. He told them to get medical checkups done regularly, at least once a year,” the source said.

Citing his personal example, Modi told them, “I wake up early morning and perform yoga daily. You can also take to yoga or any other form of exercise for fitness. Apart from your busy schedule, you should also set some time for your family members. Social work and politics should not lead to neglecting family members.”

Outlining the necessity to take the Centre-state welfare schemes to people at the grassroots, Modi said, “The victory in the elections and power should not lead to pride. We should bear in mind that power is for serving the people. Pick your own constituency and ensure maximum work and strive for larger welfare of the people. Even those segments which did not vote for you should not be avoided. Do everybody’s work.”

Speaking about the PM’s meeting, Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said, “The PM guided us on how to conduct ourselves in public and how to solve people’s problems. He shared his experiences. He did not criticise anyone. We had an in-depth discussion with him. He did not say anything about the Opposition as well.”

Another legislator said, “The PM advised us to focus on timely implementation of various state and central government schemes and have a roadmap for the next five years… what further improvements are needed in their implementation.”

He also advised legislators to visit at least five gram panchayats every month to review the progress of various works at the ground level.