Buoyed by the increased tally, Opposition Congress has decided to give training to its MLAs ahead of the first Budget Session of the Assembly post Gujarat elections held in December 2017.
The three-day long training programme for all the Congress legislatures will commence from Friday. Over a month-long Budget Session will be kicked-off from February 19. Sources in Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) said that first time in the history of the State such training programme for the party MLAs would be conducted.
During the training right from the history of Gujarat assembly, rules of the House, how to raise questions in the House, functions of assembly and role of opposition party.
They would be also informed about their rights and duty as MLA, said a senior Congress leader adding that there are many legislatures who have been elected for the first time. Apart from assembly related matters, the MLAs would also be taught about how to handle media and art of giving interviews coupled with productive use of social media.
The most important aspect of the training according to the senior Gujarat Congress leaders would be developing skill of communicating effectively and present the issues in the House keeping Congress ideology and history in the mind.
They would be given material regarding issues which can put ruling BJP in trouble. These issues would be related central as well as state governments. A special session of Narmada Dam project too will be conducted keeping the importance of the project for the people in Gujarat as it is being considered as Lifeline of Gujarat.
In the 182 members’ House, Congress is having strength of 77 against the ruling BJP’s 99. In the 2012 assembly polls Congress could win 60 seats while the saffron brigade under Narendra Modi won 115 seats.
Ahead of the budget session, Gujarat’s Minister of State for fisheries, Parashotam Solanki, who expressed unhappiness over the allocation of portfolios, finally took oath as MLA. Solanki had demanded to allot him few more portfolios as well as cabinet rank. Solanki is a five-time legislator. After the allocation of portfolio, unlike other ministers in the Council of Ministers, he didn’t take charge. Only after intervention of senior party leaders, he agreed to take charge last month. He regularly remained absent even in the cabinet meetings. The strong Koli leader also did not take oath to office as legislator along with other elected legislators to 14th Gujarat Legislative Assembly in January.