Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Sunday mocked at state government ministers and officials undergoing a weakly training programme at the IIM, Lucknow, seeking to hone in their administrative skills by learning new trends in finance, business and economy.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav too take a dig at them, saying the step has been taken a little late in the day.
On Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's suggestion, IIM Director Archana Shukla has been organising every Sunday for the last three weeks a refresher course titled 'Manthan' involving interaction of ministers and officials with various IIM's experts in the fields of finance, business and economy.
During interactions, being organised every Sunday since September 8, the ministers and officials have also been deliberating upon ways and means to apply the new concepts of finance and business to the state's administration.
Chief Minister Adityanath himself attended the programme on Sunday along with his Cabinet colleagues and senior officials, including the state chief secretary.
Speaking after the third and final phase of Manthan programme, Adityanath said, "Those running the government can also be good students. This programme was a subject of curiosity as the common notion is that those occupying posts in government and administration are perfect, have all the knowledge about everything and are all powerful."
"This notion is not true," said Adityanath, adding one who believes he has all the knowledge about everything and is perfect and all powerful, tend to suffer decline.
"Maintaining government and administration as a symbol of credibility has always been challenging. And, to stand the test, programmes like Manthan are necessary," he said.
He added that IIM Director Archana Shukla was earlier requested to prepare an useful programme, and 'Manthan' has been born out of it.
The programme will continue for various departments, a statement from the chief minister's office said later.
UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, however, mocked at the programme saying though "gaining knowledge at any age is good", it also shows the people's fate is in hand of "ardh-gyani mantrimandal".
"Gaining knowledge at any age is good. However, the fate of the people in the state is hanging in balance with 'ardh-gyaani' mantrimandal (council of ministers with little knowledge)," said Raj Babbar, alluding to an adage on little knowledge.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav too did not lag behind in talking a dig at the ministers and officials attending the IIM programme and said it's a little late in the day.
"The people in the government are going to the IIM, when the government has completed half of its tenure," said Yadav.
"If they had to go to the IIM, they should have gone to it in the beginning (of their tenure) itself. Had they undergone a week-long course earlier, the two-and-half years of the state would have passed off well," added Yadav.
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