UP cabinet ayes setting up of training institute for future politicians

Lucknow, Oct 11: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of a training institute to train future politicians. This institute will be set up in Ghaziabad. However, the opposition Congress has dubbed it as ‘an attempt to train RSS cadres’ at the Government expense.

Talking to reporters UP Minister of Urban Development Suresh Khanna said that the intention of setting up this training institute was to produce the best politicians in the country. “We will also take support of some very good national universities in shaping our proposed political training institute”, Khanna said adding that they were in touch with some international universities for affiliation.

The UP State government has sanctioned Rs 298 crore for the first phase of construction of the buildings etc. Khanna said that the institute will be completed in a couple of years from now.

Ghaziabad was selected because of its vicinity to Delhi to make it possible for the visiting international leaders to visit the institute on invitation, Khanna said. Those who study in this institute will become successful leaders of the future, he said.

He said that though there are several institutes that impart political training to the students, this proposed institute would be unique and the biggest of its kind in the country. Those who want to make politics as career should know the ins and outs of it. This institute will impart knowledge of the Constitution of India and various rules and regulations, he said.

“Students of politics need to understand the language of GOs (government orders) and learn about the problems politicians face in the field.”

Meanwhile, the UP State Congress spokesperson Dwijendra Tripathi expressed apprehension that this idea was to “manufacture RSS cadres at a government institute” and teach them how to “grab students’ unions by hook or by crook”.

He said that already the country had such institutions like Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Youth Development in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and the Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership at Thane in Maharashtra. What was the urgency for third institute, he asked.

The Rajiv Gandhi Institute’s objectives include “training youth as a facilitator of youth development activities in rural, urban as also tribal areas”, while the Thane institute aims to teach a sort of “applied political science with an element of good public administration”.