At the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, there was brainstorming of a different kind on Sunday. There were no boardroom battles, nor were there long discussions on the treacherous ways of demand and supply in marketing and finance sectors. Instead, a thought was being given to the gap created between ‘need’ and ‘policy’ in public policies. Helping the seven students of Public Policy Group (PPG) course formulate a framework for the Constituency Management Programme was Harin Pathak — five-time BJP Parliamentarian from Ahmedabad. In an interaction that lasted close to three hours, Pathak discussed with the students areas that they should identify and work on, the framework of the programme and how it could benefit policy-makers.“I had a wonderful session with the students. It was about helping them identify issues at the grassroots level and the methods in which they can be resolved by a legislator,” said Pathak. After getting the basics of constituency management, the students will now apply them in Pathak’s constituency.Srijan Pal Singh, coordinator of the course said: “We will start working in Ahmedabad Lok Sabha constituency. It will be a grassroots project that will focus on people’s needs and the way they are resolved. For example, is there a policy solution for every need of the people? Or, are they even aware of the things they should demand from their leaders?”Interacting with the students, Pathak said that each time there are elections, and a new Parliament is formed, people get to see new faces. Most of the time, 50 per cent of the MPs are new, he said. It is, therefore, imperative to reach the grassroots level. The high attrition rate among MPs, he said, could be avoided if better constituency management practices were employed.Rajat Sarkar, who attended the session, said: “It was very motivating. He gave us a deep insight into the way politicians think about constituency management.” Pathak said that he was pleased when students said they wanted to contribute to policy-making. “I told them that they couldn’t contribute much from outside. Join the civil services, politics and make a difference. One can’t stay out and say that our leaders are not doing anything.” Congress MP Madhusudhan Mistry and CPI MP Sitaram Yechury are other leaders who are likely to interact with the IIM-A students as part of the PPG programme.
