BHUBANESWAR: Taking care of family, looking after personal health and maintaining a good social life were the three mantras given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his party colleagues during his more than two hour-long meeting with BJP MLAs, MPs and the party’s state office-bearers here on Friday.
The PM took everyone by surprise when he asked BJP leaders to raise their hands if they were recently hospitalised. While most of them said they were hospitalised during Covid-19 pandemic, Modi said, “Not for Covid-related issues but other ailments.”
Modi also wanted to know if they were taking care of the elderly persons in their families by taking time out of their busy political schedule. “What touched us the most was when he asked us if we had unmarried sisters and their marriage was getting delayed because we were not giving enough time to the family. The PM advised us to take leave from politics for sometime and fulfil our family obligations. He told us to prioritise family before political commitments and responsibilities,” said one of the party leaders present at the meeting.
“We never expected that he will make the meeting so informal. He talked like a guardian. It was mostly an informal discussion,” said another BJP leader.
“The public attention is always on you as their elected representatives. As you are under constant watch, be attentive when you are dealing with the public more so in the era of social media. Think before what you talk. A small mistake may cost you dearly,” the PM told BJP leaders while emphasising on maintaining a good social life.
Sharing his experience as the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi said the state was at the 20th position in the country in girl child education. “I took it as a challenge. I mobilised my cabinet colleagues, and MLAs and party workers visited every village where drop-out rate of girls was very high. Our efforts paid dividends and we ensured that not a single girl child is out of school.”