Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed the orientation programme of newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of Chhattisgarh in Raipur today. On this occasion, many dignitaries including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri VishnuDeoSai were present.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that there is no age for learning and neither does time end for it. To keep learning till the end of life is the basic mantra of success. He said that people who get elected as MLAs should keep in mind that they are the bearers of a tradition. Shri Shah said that in the 75 years of independence, the entire country and all parties together deepened the roots of democracy and gave a message to the whole world that we are a successful democracy. We have not only successfully assimilated the three-tier democratic system but have also conveyed its positive results to the public.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that in our country the MLAs have three types of responsibilities – responsibility towards the constituency, the ideology of the party and the progress of the entire state. Shri Shah said that to achieve success in these three areas, there is a need to systematically allocate time and energy. He said that it is also the responsibility of the MLAs to work for the fulfillment of the policies, procedures and objectives of the party. He said that to become effective, all public representatives should have sensitivity towards the public and the area and readiness, skill and eagerness to discharge public responsibilities. He said that we should always remain happy in public relations, public gathering, discharge of legislative responsibilities and implementing the policies and objectives of the party on the ground.

Shri Amit Shah said that we should develop the habit of understanding the administration and giving in writing, this will get the work done quickly. He said that we should evolve our methodology of working with officials. He said that only when the public representative is capable and accountable, good administration in his area supports him. He said that there are many ways to solve the problems and the most appropriate way is to write a concrete letter as per the rules and give it to the administration and fix the responsibility. A letter written after understanding the problem meaningfully is more effective than any movement and it does not take away the rights of the movement. Shri Shah said that to solve the problems of the people and to discharge our responsibilities, it is important to first understand the problem. He said that our basic job is to consider the problem holistically and provide solutions, not to seek fame. He added that the public representatives should also become a watchdog of public interest schemes.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that public representatives also have a legislative responsibility. He said that very few people study the Bill, its consequences and objectives. He said that it is the responsibility of the MLAs to understand any Bill and Budget as a responsive MLA. Shri Shah said that the MLA is the link between the government, opposition and the public. He said that opposition MLAs should also work hard to convey the government's schemes to the public and should also build their party's machinery.

Shri Amit Shah said that after the re-formation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's government in 2019, Article 370 was abolished, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) came and Triple Talaq ended. He said that in the last 75 years, not less than 50 private members' bills have come on these three subjects. He said that unless MLAs study the language and procedure of law, they cannot become good MLAs. He said that sometimes it is sad that when the speeches given on public platforms are given in the House, it lowers the dignity of the House and also degrades its credibility for the sake of temporary fame. He said that MLAs should understand the legislative process very well and according to its rules, they should maintain their language, behavior and correspondence with the Assembly Secretariat. Shri Shah said that MLAs should bring some good bills as private members, which may become law after a decade or two. He said that when you put forward your views, sooner or later they will take the form of a good law.

The Union Home Minister said that if you want to enter the politics of the region, state and country, then connection, communication and hard work only can be useful and all these three can transform you from a public servant to a public leader. He said that in a democratic system, the party can give you a ticket, but you will get the public mandate only when you communicate with the public and work hard for the area. He said that communication regarding problems is arranged through your office and the implementation of small schemes is also done by your office. For this, the office should be designed in such a scientific and modern manner that information about even the smallest incidents in every village of our area reaches us. Shri Shah said that teachers, women, youth, litterateurs, journalists and underprivileged beneficiaries are also opinion makers. He said that through public dialogue and connecting with different sections of the society, you get the details of the entire area and also get information about the problems. He said that our workers cannot tell us what the public thinks about us, only the public can tell this and for this we should also learn the art of public relations.

Shri Amit Shah said that we should not have any misconception about the public and we should not consider the workers as the public. He said that we should be involved with the legislative process and should also have the skills to bring the party's policies to the floor through the rules of the assembly. Shri Shah said that one should never seek development in one's constituency after seeing the election results; there will never be a bigger sin and political loss than this. He said that if votes are not received from any booth then step motherly attitude should not be maintained for this. Shri Shah said that when we contest elections, we happen to be a candidate of one party and when we win the elections, we become MLA of the entire constituency and then the problems of the entire constituency become ours.

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RK/ASH/PR/AK