Taking a leaf out of the RSS' book, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari plans ideological training of the party leaders. He is planning an intensive three-year training course to groom the BJP's future leadership.

The model prepared by Vinay Shasrabuddhe at Gadkari's instance, appears to be a replica of the three year OTC (officers training camp) run by the RSS to groom its future leadership. In his earlier role as BJP's state president Gadkari had introduced this model in Maharashtra. Sahasrabuddhe was the brain behind that course as well as the director general of Rambhau Mhalgi Probodhini in Mumbai which imparted the training.

The institute conducted two short training workshops for ministers from all BJP-ruled states. It was founded by Pramod Mahajan and imparts training to cadres of various organisations of the Sangh Parivar.

Happy with the Maharashtra experiment, Gadkari has asked Sahasrabuddhe to prepare a blueprint to be presented at the party's national council meeting in Indore later this month for a national roll out.

The Maharashtra training programme was undertaken on the pilot basis and the party now plans to put it into operation at all-
three-year training programme has been organised in Maharashtra on a pilot basis and the party now plans to put the same into practice at an all-India level, the party sources said.

Unlike the Maharashtra programme, those selected may not have to physically spend three years in the institute. Instead, Gadkari wants the institute to prepare modules for online training. The party leaders will have to spend time initially at the Mumbai institute and then take lessons online.

The course aims to basically create the future BJP leaders by imparting them ideological clarity and understanding, providing information on policy matters and social issues, introduction to policies of other political parties and practical aspects like public speaking, publicity and honing of other skills.

The institute will be roping in professional and management experts from different fields to impart the training. The ideological grounding may be done by some senior RSS leaders.