Underlining that the Bharatiya Janata Party's ideology and thoughts brought it to its current position and not the legacy of any family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked party lawmakers on Saturday to remain connected with party workers and not forget their contribution in making them MPs and ministers.
Addressing more than 380 party MPs of both Houses of Parliament during a two-day training programme, the prime minister likened the party and its workers to a mother who nurtures a son, but feels a bit neglected when he gets married and pays more attention to his wife.
So once they become MPs, they should not forget the party and the workers. They should remain connected with the workers who have toiled for them, and not just in election time, Modi was quoted as saying by lawmakers who attended the session.
Modi credited BJP workers and their hard work for the party's ascendancy.
"Therefore, we all should keep the spirit of a party worker alive in ourself," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi quoted Modi as saying.
"Modi described BJP as a family and categorically told party MPs that it is growing because of its ideology and thoughts and not because of the legacy of a family," Joshi said.
"The team BJP is an organic entity and not an assembled entity," Modi told the meeting.
Joshi said that Modi highlighted the importance of the organisational strength while talking about the party's impressive victory in Tripura's local elections.
The prime minister inaugurated the training programme, 'Abhyas Varga', at Parliament House complex and recalled his experience of attending a similar event in Surajkund. Modi said it was of great help to him, Joshi added.
The prime minister also stressed on the importance of learning and said it should continue whatever the age of an individual is.
"Modi said whatever our age is, we should remain students and keep learning. Learning is a continuous process and it is essential," Joshi said.
Modi, who will hold a session with the party MPs on Sunday, spoke briefly at the inaugural session.
Besides Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and working president J P Nadda addressed the inaugural session.
Later, Nadda also addressed a session on the idea of India. During the session, sources said, Modi and other senior leaders got off the dais, sat with the MPs in middle rows and listened to him.
Party's general secretary Bhupendra Yadav addressed a session on parliamentary procedures, while BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya discussed the use of information technology with MPs.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal is scheduled to address the parliamentarians on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme/
At the end of every address, there was a question-answer session.
On Sunday, the second and last day of the training programme, Modi and Shah are scheduled to address the MPs.
The programme is aimed at informing MPs about the party, its ideology and parliamentary procedures.
