Personal assistants and personal secretaries to parliamentarians say in the classes, they are also taught how to connect with the masses
In a quiet village by the sea in Mumbai, 120 men and women are back in the classroom to train for a job they have done for years.
Personal assistants and personal secretaries to parliamentarians are almost politicians and have often gone on to become leaders in the past. Those working for BJP MPs, however, are currently sitting through lessons in ideology, efficiency and politics in an institute run by the BJP's mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS. The seven-day course will earn them a certificate in "political assistantship".
Abhishek Chaudhary, assistant to BJP MP and Spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, explained, "How politics is practiced, how Parliament functions, and how MPLAD (MPs' constituency funds) is spent, is what we are being taught. Also, how to connect with the masses."
The only non-BJP participant in the course is Suneet Kadam, who is on Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant's staff. "These sessions should be mandatory," he enthused.
Lessons in effective use of social media will correspond with sessions on the RSS and the BJP's journey.
"There will be two sessions on what is RSS and its ideology and the RSS sponsored organisations. There will be one session on the journey of the party from Jana Sangh to BJP", said Ravindra Sathe, executive director of the institute, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini.
Radhika Patel, one of the few women in the course and personal secretary to Madhya Pradesh MP Prahlad Patel, says, "The BJP's origin is from the Sangh and without understanding this we cannot do our job."
Among the experts instructing the aides is Vanita Banjan, Assistant Professor of Political Science at a Mumbai college, who says, "Today the role of the political assistants has become very important because the MP may not be able to manage expectations. I don't think the very typical typist or the person who takes down your letter is not what the role of the personal secretary is expected to be."
Days after he took charge in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that personal staff must be chosen with caution and gave a list of dos and don'ts.