Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is donning the role of a teacher this week. He will impart lessons in “personality development and party image building” to Karnataka’s BJP ministers, including Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. Modi will talk to them on how to build and sustain their political image, how to present themselves to the public and how to project the “correct” party image.

The three-day brainstorming session, beginning Tuesday, will be held at the temple town of Suttur, 25 km from Mysore. Yeddyurappa and his 33 ministerial colleagues have been instructed to keep their cellphones switched off during the session to avoid distraction.

Karnataka state BJP president D V Sadannada Gowda said the basic idea was to give a hard thinking to “how we ruled and how we should have ruled”. “This is the first chintan baithak being organised after we came to power in Karnataka one year ago... we wanted to hold the meet much earlier but could not do so because of elections,” he said. “Narendra Modi will also be guiding the ministers on aspects of good governance and will tell us what had worked in Gujarat and how it could be replicated in Karnataka,” Gowda said.

Mysore rural BJP district president K G Ramakrishnappa said besides Modi, former BJP national president Venkaiah Naidu and the party’s leader in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, would address the session. Also expected are RSS leaders M C Jayadev and K Narahari.

The conclave will focus on personality and human resource development, besides image building, and emphasise on bringing cohesiveness and collectivism among the ministers, Ramakrishnappa said. The session promises to be an interactive one.