Avoid Making Loose Remarks in Media; Shun VIP Culture: PM Modi Instructs New MPs

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday asked newly-elected MPs of the NDA to avoid making loose remarks for publicity and to shun VIP culture, as he rolled out a list of do's and don'ts for them.

Underling that the people have given the BJP-led NDA a mandate due to their "seva bhav" (willingness to serve), he said the parliamentarians should remember that "we are here for those who trusted us today and we are here for those also whose trust we are yet to win".

"People have accepted us due to our 'seva bhav'. One has to prepare oneself to be always ready to help people even when you move through the lanes of politics and power," Modi said while addressing the NDA parliamentary party meeting at the Central Hall of Parliament building.

He said it was not Modi but the people who made the lawmakers victorious and added that Mahatama Gandhi, Deendayal Upadhyay, Ram Manohar Lohia and BR Ambedkar should be their examples.

Underlining that people hate VIP culture, the prime minister said parliamentarians should shun it and the hallmark of a New India is the absence of this culture.

"The country hates VIP culture. Why shouldn't we stand in line for security check at the airport? We have set this trend and are determined to pursue it in the times to come. It didn't cost us much to remove lal battis (red beacons), but it sent a good message to the country," he said.

Suggesting that MPs of the ruling should restrain themselves from talking to media and stroking controversies, Modi said,"No matter how hard we work, one bad remark will undo all."

Without naming anyone, Modi said some people have tendency to "address the nation" every morning.

"Stay away from chapaas (being written about in print) and dikhaas (being on television). If you can avoid it, then you can avoid a lot of problems," he said.

Advising members not to fall for media speculation on possible ministers and portfolios, Modi said, "Many Narendra Modis have risen in this country and formed cabinets," he quipped, adding, "ministers are not made on the pages of a newspaper, nor are they removed".