New Political Class

A 75-member panel comprising experts from various fields have worked on shaping the focus of the school. BJP national general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, is the president of the management committee while his brother-in-law and BJP state vice president, Gopinath Munde, is the vice president. The faculty comprises senior BJP and RSS leaders.

Elaborating on his classroom experience, the general secretary of the Maharashtra unit of the BJP, Vinod Tawade stated that it had helped him bring significant changes to his style of functioning as a MLC. ‘‘It was practical hands-on training. For three days I thoroughly studied those subjects which were so routine to me. Ram Naik’s lecture on constituency building and senior BJP leader Mukundrao Kulkarni’s directions on how the staff at the office of the public representative should work helped shape my perspective,’’ says Tawade.

The course curricula gives the participants a glimpse of the issues that affect the elected representatives and his constituents. The courses offered include special training for personal assistants of MLAs and MPs, office secretaries of politicians, effective management of the office of an elected representative and time management. Mahajan has played a pivotal role in designing the training modules.

The duration of the course varies according to the needs of the politicians, often it is a three-day comprehensive capsule.

Says Sahasrabuddhe, ‘‘We want to turn the searchlight inwards and draw out the latent potential. The research is of contemporary socio-economic relevance, more focussed and result oriented. Principally it may be an institution for the BJP politicians, but we are open to politicians from other parties coming in for orientation courses.’’

The special courses teaches politicians and aspiring politicians to identify their priorities and turn them into career advantages.

The Academy has a three prong approach—training, research and opinion making. Though claims are made about catering to the needs of all elected representatives cutting across party lines, in reality it is principally for the BJP. According to Sahasrabuddhe the need for such an Academy was felt after the BJP came into power.

‘‘The attempt became successful after the BJP came into power. The elected representatives are not aware of what their responsibilities entail. At the Academy they will experience an explosion of information, intense discussions and dispassionate analysis. We regularly conduct study circles, organise seminars and symposia to promote free thinking. In a nutshell, they become effective crisis managers,’’ explains Sahasrabuddhe.

The course has been structured with an eye on the changing political dynamics. Therefore, now the major focus of the training is on improving the politicians’ knowledge of various aspects of Information Technology, honing their skills in management, time management, personality development and the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities and threats) programme.

The inspiration behind the concept, Rambhau Mhalgi was a prominent political figure in the state. An activist turned leader, the late Mhalgi was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1977 and a member of Parliament from 1977 to 1982. His own experiences convinced him of the imperative need for a training and orientation academy for politicians.