Amit Shah launches camp for BJP leaders from M.P.; Rajnath Singh, B.L. Santhosh, Shivraj Chouhan to address sessions
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated a three-day training programme for party leaders, including Ministers, MPs and MLAs, from Madhya Pradesh.
The training camp, being held in Pachmarhi in Narmadapuram district, was announced in the wake of controversial statements by party leaders, including derogatory remarks by State Minister Vijay Shah against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who briefed the media during Operation Sindoor, which drew widespread criticism and the wrath of the Supreme Court.
Apart from him, Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda and MLA Narendra Prajapati's remarks about Operation Sindoor and the armed forces had drawn criticism from the Opposition, putting the ruling party on the defensive.
The Union Home Minister delivered the inaugural address. 'While Amit Shahji did not specifically talk about any particular leader or issue, he said anyone could make mistakes, but it is important not to repeat those,' an MLA from Bhopal, who is at the camp, told The Hindu.
Even as party leaders have termed the three-day event a 'routine programme', sources said the camp is aimed at training leaders in public communication, discipline, and discussing sensitive issues.
MPs and MLAs from Madhya Pradesh will remain in Pachmarhi till June 16. Several leaders, including national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh, joint general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash, and Union Minister and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, are scheduled to address various sessions. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the programme on the last day.
A State Minister, who is attending the camp, said the event will also include sessions on the 'history and growth of the BJP' and on its government in the State, from the tenure of former CM Uma Bharti to that of the current CM, Mohan Yadav.
'Discipline, restraint'
'The focus is on discipline and restraint while speaking in public. In the age of social media, anything you say spreads so fast that it becomes a controversy before you get a chance to clarify. So, the main lesson from this event will be to think before you speak because what you say becomes the party's statement in the media and among the masses,' the Minister said.
State BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said that such training camps are part of the party's policy.
'The party keeps organising programmes like these for all types of workers, from elected representatives to ground workers, as training and discipline are part of the BJP's policy. This particular event is a high-level programme for elected representatives and senior leaders. A similar event was organised in Ujjain before the 2023 Assembly election,' Mr. Chaturvedi said.
He added that the event's agenda is 'much wider' than is being reported by the media. 'The media is only talking about one thing: communication training. It's not just about that. The event focuses on the future needs and emerging situations in politics and how to adapt to those,' he said.
Digvijay takes a dig
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former CM Digvijaya Singh took a dig at the three-day training event, saying that the ruling party leaders are 'being trained in how to commit corruption'.
Mr. Chaturvedi hit back, saying that the grand old party 'will not be able to comprehend such programmes as it lacks the culture of discipline and training'.
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