Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the newly-elected BJP MPs' workshop at Surajkund in Haryana
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi today addressed a master class of BJP lawmakers who have been elected for the first time to Parliament and told them that like them, he is learning the ropes.
"I have also won for the first time... I am also a new MP... I have to learn from my seniors," the prime minister said.
(Read more on the PM's address)The 63-year-old PM was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
The PM also urged the 161 first-timer MPs "to come to me or party president Rajnath Singh if you need any help."
The PM was also clear on dos and don'ts - he warned against any form of corruption or nepotism, said MPs would have to come well prepared for debates in the House, and said "just like we made the Centre nearly Congress-
mukt, the same thing has to be repeated wherever assembly elections are taking place." He also said that MPs should not speak out of turn to the media and must focus on "achar (conduct), vichar (thinking) and vyavahar (behaviour)".
The PM was the first speaker at a two-day training camp being held at a hotel in Surajkund on the border between Delhi and Haryana.
(See pics)Other BJP A-listers like Home Minister
Rajnath Singh also briefed the rookies.
The new lawmakers will also get tutorials from union minister
M Venkaiah Naidu, Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj.
The final speaker will be LK Advani, the party's 86-year-old veteran.
Class will be dismissed tomorrow at 4 pm.
The Budget Session of Parliament begins on July 7. The PM has warned his party workers that "bitter medicine" will be needed to push the economy out of neutral, and in a blog, on Thursday, to mark his first month in office, he spoke of the need to strengthen communication systems to convey "the right things to the right people at the right time".