No more pelting stones, blackening faces or violent methods, members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) are being groomed for better behaviour and more effective methods of protest as part of a nationwide makeover plan overseen by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

The Gujarat NSUI is already observing a self-imposed ban on all violent demonstrations. NSUI state general secretary Devshi Modhvadia said: “We did not get any results with violent demonstrations, therefore we are observing this self imposed ban.”

Cadres across the country will now be trained in personality development, public speaking, grooming, presentation, team building skills and political awareness to be able to put up a students-friendly face. Delegates from Gujarat, selected after a talent hunt judged by the NSUI chief, are among the first batch of student leaders from across the country who will be trained by a six-members national core team of trainers. These student leaders will in turn organise training sessions for the cadres with the help of local experts.

“NSUI delegates from Gujarat and Chhattisgarh will be trained in November while members in Punjab, Delhi and Uttarakhand have already received the training,” said NSUI national general secretary Shahnawaz Shaikh.

Gujarat state chief Hardik Patel the grooming sessions for over two lakh cadres in the state will commence in January. “We are looking at a hundred per cent overhaul of the way we operate. We will rope in leaders like Meenakshi Natrajan (former NSUI national president) and MP Jitendrasinh Bhawar to train our cadres,” he said.