Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh's politicians, many of whom are notorious in more ways than one, are about to get lessons from management gurus on how to improve the quality of politics.
Professors at the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) have drawn up a programme for politicians, which will provide them a "professional" approach towards elections and educate them on key issues.
"The idea is to upgrade the politician's communications skills, planning of election management and overall performance," IIM-L professor Debashish Chatterjee said.
Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state with 166 million people, accounts for the most number of MPs elected to the Lok Sabha among all states. This gives it a pride of place in national politics.
But the politicians who have emerged in the state since the 1980s have been blamed for the rapidly deteriorating standards of public conduct in Uttar Pradesh, leading to revulsion among the general public.
Chatterjee, who heads the Department of Human Resources Management at IIM-L and its Global Centre for Leadership, feels the programme would go a long way in not only assisting politicians to carry out their duties and responsibilities more effectively, but also to help improve the overall quality of politics.
"What prompted me and some colleagues in the Lucknow Management Association to undertake the programme was the oft-debated deteriorating level of politics in Uttar Pradesh," Chatterjee told IANS.
"Whenever the topic comes up for discussion, we would be asked why we did not do anything to pave the way for desired changes and improvements. So we got down to working out an unusual programme.
"Participants will be invited from different political parties with which we are already in touch. I am sure the programme will help them function more effectively. We hope to launch the programme in December."
Initially, 30-35 participants would be enrolled. But Chatterjee is optimistic that many more politicians would be eager to join the programme.
The IIM professor, known for his novel ideas on leadership, drew up the blueprint for the programme after consulting top leaders of different political parties.
These included Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Salman Khurshid, Samajwadi Party national spokesman Nishith Kumar and some prominent leaders of the Bahujhan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Asked how he intends to guide the 'netas', Chatterjee said: "Well, we propose to tell them how they can win an election without buying votes, without resorting to violence or using muscle power. We would also sensitise them on key issues."
Whether the programme succeeds or not remains to be seen.
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