Students of 16th batch of MIT School of Government on National Study Tour to Delhi from 8th March till 24th March 2021

Pune, 19th March 2021: The students of two-year MA in Political Leadership and Government, batch 16 of MIT-School of Government-The First Institute to Create Future Political leaders, on their two-week National Study Tour to Delhi met the following leaders –

Smt. Swati Maliwal, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women

She spoke on understanding of Power. Power is the State of Mind, You are as powerful as you think of yourself. With power comes arrogance, which should be avoided. You cannot do anything with arrogance. Nothing works better than one’s own ground work. Work itself should be self-less service. When you are honest, this message goes down the hierarchy, which helps you. You should remove the fear inside yourself; then only you can remove the fear of system. In politics one should not be vindictive. You should have best critic with you to work properly. Self-Introspection is necessary, especially in politics.

Meeting with Mr. Pratap Singh Bajwa; Member of Rajya Sabha (INC)

Speaking from his experiences, he iterated -  Be wedded to ideology, always be ready for noble deeds, it will be appreciated and will be sustainable. Politics demands many sacrifices, always listen to the people and their demands. It helps in making long lasting relationships. Politicians must know the sentiments of the people. One needs to have a connect with the people. In modern politics, we have to focus on new technology, because technology helps to connect with people. Leadership makes strong political party, always improve leadership qualities in yourself.

 Meeting with Shri Shrirang Barne, Member of Lok Sabha, (Shiv Sena)

He started conversation with image building. Clean image of the politician is must. Listen to the people and their demands and aspirations. Follow up the Government Schemes and provide benefits to as much people as possible. Whenever you give commitment to visit the constituency or functions, devote the time only so much that is feasible, and doable for you. Having a detailed study of voters in your constituency it’s required for Development and Elections. Use Social media for outreach, awareness etc. is must these days. Be a well-read Politician to understand issues better and be sensitive to people's demands and aspirations. Have a well-planned schedule of 10 days with you to keep track of different work and meetings.

Meeting with Karthi P Chidambaram

Sharing his experiences, he said - Make your constituency your home and your base irrespective of win or loss in the election. Democracy needs a strong opposition without which the government becomes dictatorial. Respect diversity. Without respect for other's different opinions, food habits, dressing styles, languages, the unity in diversity is not possible. The agitations and protests have an immediate cause and a broader context. When cause and context are supplementary to each other, movement becomes sustainable.

 Meeting with Mr. Sujeet Kumar, Member of Parliament, (BJD), Odisha

 He elaborated on politics. Politics should be thought from a much more larger perspective other than electoral representative mechanism. Have a grass root connect where the development matters the most. If you aspire into functional politics then it is important to have 2 or more specialised knowledge/skills and create a personality where political parties will vouch for you. Legal knowledge is must, attaining the learnings of constitution of India makes a candidate at par with the bureaucratic setup of the country or state. The regional parties gives you immense opportunities when we compare it with the national parties.

 Pramila Bisoi, Member of Lok Sabha (BJD)

Coming from a rural background, she said - no power is needed to do service to people. First identify the problems of your area. Once problems are identified, improve institutional delivery. Without expecting anything do your service to the people. If u get power you can do miracles. Earn respect of bureaucrats through your knowledge and work. One can extend his/her services to many places. Don’t restrict yourself to only one constituency.

Meeting with Shri. Fransisco Sardinha, Member of Lok Sabha, South Goa (Cong), Former Chief Minister of Goa

While sharing his experiences with students, he said - Whatever you want to do, do it now, the 'right' time you are waiting for, will not come, present time is the best time to do it. Only those who do good work in the constituencies get re-elected. Always tell the people that you are with them, this helps in building trust. Don't contest for the sake of contesting, contest to win only. Always try to help others, it will eventually help you in different form. There is only one religion - Humanity, this must be preserved.

 Meeting with Shri Omprakash Nimbalkar, Member of Lok Sabha (Shivsena)

He said in Politics one needs power along with intelligence. Always carry learning attitude. Always live in constituency like a part of their family. To be a mass leader, then always be in connect with voters actively. A politician is known by the developmental works and not by name. Avoid hate politics and spread love and peace.

Meeting with Hemant Patil , Member of Lok Sabha (shivsena)

He spoke on people connect. Always keep connected with your voters, do politics of humanity, like a coin, politics also has two sides. Plan policies yourself and connect people for development. Self-discipline is more important. Always improve your skills to get re-elected. What was sufficient for last election victory may not be enough for next election. Be innovative and non-repetitive. Be excellent in hospitality of all the people visiting you.

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