Amit Shah gives mantra on how to be an effective MLA at Chhattisgarh event

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said MLAs should have the skills to put forward the party’s ideology and policies in the Assembly using legislative rules.

Addressing the concluding session of the two-day orientation program for newly elected members of the Chhattisgarh Assembly, Shah said responsibility towards the constituency, party ideology and policies as well as the welfare and development of the state are the three major responsibilities of an MLA.

He said, “If we have to achieve success in these three things, we will have to invest our time and energy with a complete plan for this.” Shah was speaking on the topic ‘How to become an effective MLA’ at a program organized in the state assembly complex.

“As an MLA, we should be aware that we are the bearers of a great tradition. When the country became independent, many pundits and journalists on democracy around the world were apprehensive about how India would function and how democracy would function,” he said. He said, “But in the last 75 years, together with all parties, we have deepened and strengthened its roots and given a message to the entire world that we are a successful democracy.”

He told the MLAs that they should have “sympathy” towards the people, readiness and skill in performing constitutional responsibilities and curiosity to prepare themselves for these three responsibilities. He said, another very important aspect is to be happy.

“No one has invited us. We have voluntarily come forward to serve the state and the country. When we have come forward, we also have to face challenges. We should always be happy. If you are not happy, people will distance themselves from you,” Shah said in the meeting, adding that there should not be any assembly rule which he has not used till the end of two and a half years of his tenure.

He asked them to use Question Hour, Zero Hour, Resolutions and Private Member Bills in the best possible manner to raise issues after thoroughly studying the rules and regulations of the Assembly. “Private Member Bills are an important means of addressing various issues. After the formation of Narendra Modi government (in 2014), Article 370 and Triple Talaq were abolished and CAA was brought. In the last 75 years, various private member bills were brought (in Parliament) on these three issues,” he said.

“Opposition members had brought private bills on these issues, even knowing that they would be defeated. He presented the ideology of his party before the public. Some good private bills should be brought which can become law after a decade or two,” Shah said. Shah said that if he had been a member of the Chhattisgarh Assembly, he would have brought an “abhinandan” resolution regarding the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

In this way members can present the ideology and achievements of their party before the public. If you want to become a leader of your region, then the state and then the country, then ‘Sampark, Samvad and Parisham’ (contact, communication and hard work) are the only three things that can help,” Shah stressed.

Shah asked the new members to behave politely with the bureaucrats in addressing the issues of their area, which should be raised in writing for effective redressal.

“Nowadays, it has become a fashion that public representatives talk to officials and shoot videos and make them viral on social media. I have seen such ‘video heroes’ (those who make such videos) losing elections by huge margins. The video will give them publicity for some time but the issue will remain unresolved,” Shah said.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)