REPORT

Youth Congress Protests NDA Policies

NEW DELHI : Protesting against the corrupt practices adopted by the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, more than ten thousand Youth Congress activists, led by the IYC president, Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala held a Yuva Kranti March and a rally and courted arrest in front of the Parliament House on 6 February. The Youth Congress activists raised slogans against the Centre and its corrupt sellout of the profit-making public sector undertakings, against the scam in the telecom sector and rising unemployment?

Veteran Congress leaders including AICC general secretary Shri Kamal Nath, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel and Mukul Wasnik addressed the youth. Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad said that India has won wars against Pakistan as we remained united, but now with the BJP dividing the people on the basis of religion a grave threat to our unity and integrity of our country is on the horizon. Shri Azad added that the internal terrorists are causing more serious damage to the secular fabric of the nation compared to the threat from outside.

Stating that secularism was the real loser in Gujarat elections, Shri Kamal Nath said the Sangh Parivar was making the country weak and now it was the responsibility of the youth to fight these divisive forces so that the future could be saved from being ruined. Shri Ahmed Patel said that time has come to spread the Congress president’s message of waging a decisive war against communal and divisive forces so that the nation could again be put back on the path of progress and development.

The Youth Congress on 29 January held a huge protest march at Narwana in Jind district of Haryana against the rising atrocities on the poor and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Seeking the dismissal of the Om Prakash Chautala government, the Youth Congress president, Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala handed over a memorandum to the state Governor highlighting the brutal murders, rape of minors girls, attack on scheduled castes, extortion by organised gangs who are being patronised by the sons of the chief minister. Thousands of Youth Congress workers, young men and women took part in the protest march.

Earlier, the IYC organised a massive Yuva Kranti Rally at Dadri in Bhiwani district of Haryana to protest against the passing of Casino Bill in the state assembly without permitting any debate on the issue. Shri Randeep Singh said that the Haryana chief minister Shri Om Prakash Chautala, has made this land of Gita, a land of alcoholism and gambling to garner and fulfil his personal lust for ill-gotten wealth.

The Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress on 17 February launched a Jan Jagaran programme in the Capital against the anti-national, anti-people and anti-youth policies of the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre. DPYC president, Shri Rajesh Lilothia said these programmes were launched at district and block level which was attended by local MLAs and Congress Councillors. On the occasion leaflets were distributed to make the common people aware of the scams, disinvestment, land scam, Tehelka scam, coffin scam among others. Shri Lilothia also highlighted the achievements of the Delhi government under the able leadership of chief minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit giving credit for the Metro Rail project, fly -overs, welfare schemes for the poor and the deprived and the Bhagidari scheme by the local residents welfare associations.

The DPYC also organised a seminar at the Constitution Club on 8 March. The topic was Terrorism - Role of Fundamental Forces. The seminar was addressed by AICC general secretary Shri Oscar Fernandes, AICC secretary Shri Salman Khurshid and Prof. Kanti Vajpai, Professor of International Studies in JNU. The speakers exposed the BJP and its combine of waging a religious terrorism. The Congress party is the only political party which has suffered a lot in combating terrorism. The seminar was attended by state office-bearers, district presidents, block presidents and unit presidents of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

Earlier, on 6 February, Delhi Youth Congress president, Shri Rajesh Lilothia submitted a petition to the Election Commission asking for the immediate cancellation of recognition of the BJP and the Shiv Sena for violating Section-29A of the Representation of People’s Act for using religion as a tool to garner votes during elections. In the same petition, Shri Lilothia also sought an immediate ban on fundamentalist organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and the RSS for poisoning the political environment of the country by indulging in inflammatory speeches against the minorities. The petition also asked for the ban on the political activities of these three organisations.

The Youth Congress started an awareness campaign by holding a massive rally at Pushkar in Ajmer district of Rajasthan on 11 February. The campaign was called ‘Chetna Rallies’ to educate the farmers, rural people and youth. IYC president, Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala gave a clarion call to oust BJP from the Centre and save the villages and our primary profession, agriculture. Shri Surjewala said Rajasthan has seen the worst drought of the century and with the Central government pursuing a policy of the conspiratorial discrimination in granting pittance as drought relief as against over Rs. 6,700 crores demanded by the state government. Rajasthan was facing an extremely difficult situation. Shri Surjewala said that agriculture was the sole vocation of livelihood which has suffered on account of drought coupled with unprecedented increase in the cost of farming inputs.