People's Democracy

DYFI Holds HP State Conference

 THE Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held its fifth Himachal Pradesh state conference in Kali Bari Hall, Shimla, November 15-16. The conference started with a public meeting in Subzi Mandi ground on November 15, when a joint student-youth rally was attended by thousands of boys and girls. Former Shimla MLA and a former student leader Rakesh Singha and DYFI general secretary Tapas Sinha were the main speakers at the rally.

Despite the biting cold of the Himalayan ranges, hundreds of activists from different nooks of the state gathered at Panchayat Bhavan even before dawn could spread its light. The procession started when the local students and youth began to pour in at 11:30 a m.

Marching though Ram Bazar and Lower Bazar, the procession reached the Subzi Mandi ground, the venue of a public meeting. The Challengers Club of the DYFI greeted the procession with democratic songs.

All the speakers focussed on the main slogan of the rally, “Fight for Alternative Policies of Education, Employment and Development!” lambasting the incumbent central and state governments for hoodwinking the people of the country and the state.

DYFI general secretary Tapas Sinha inaugurated the conference. He stressed on minute details of the art of organisation. He said that for any political movement to develop, especially for a youth movement, social bonds must be considered very strong. Youth leaders must be the natural leaders of their areas; only then can a youth movement develop. He also elaborated how the youth have played a pivotal role in the movements at the global level. As seen in the historic October revolution or the fascist movement led by Hitler, youth may go in any direction. It is our job to turn the youth towards democratic, progressive and scientific thinking.

State DYFI secretary Tikender Singh Panwar placed the report before the conference. The report was divided into 5 major parts: (a) political, (b) organisational review, (c) organisational note, (d) note on unemployment and (e) approach to alternative policies.

Apart from the anti-people rule of the state’s BJP-led government, the highlight of the report was an alternative path of development suggested for the state. The conference decided to hold a workshop on the issue and see to it that the agenda becomes a people’s agenda and is highlighted in a militant way. The report highlighted how the state’s ample natural resources, if tapped properly, may lead to a boon for the people and can definitely give a rebuff to the policies of the IMF-WB-WTO trinity. The organisational part highlighted the advances made in the sphere of organisation, but critically examined the failure to develop a statewide movement. The membership has increased by over 100 per cent --- from about 6,000 to 13,000 --- but has remained stagnant around this figure for two years. The conference categorically stressed on selecting the priority/target areas and running a mass membership drive. The conference also resolved to achieve a membership target of 20,000.

Another problem facing the organisation in the state is the failure to run live units. Concretely, the report stressed on the dialectics of movement and organisation towards the sustainability of the organisation.

Twenty-five delegates took part in the discussion on the report, highlighting the state of the organisation. They suggested that the DYFI would have to target the large mass of former SFI leaders, activists and sympathisers to develop a youth movement statewide.

Though the organisation is active in 12 districts, delegates from 11 participated in the conference, barring the tribal district of Lahual & Spiti. The delegates from this district could not attend as heavy snowfall had closed the Rohtang pass.

Rajinder Tejta placed the report of the credentials committee. Out of a total of 120 delegates, 110 reported. Of them, 15 were young women. Nearly 60 per cent of the delegates were unit members, 65 per cent were former student leaders or activists, and 20 per cent were tribal youth. More than 30 per cent of the delegates had been implicated in false cases registered during the course of the movement. Nearly 10 per cent of the delegates had been arrested, jailed or victimised in other ways, facing the wrath of the ruling classes. Most of the delegates (67) were in the age group 20-30. As many as 46 were undergraduates, followed by those having senior secondary education (18) and postgraduates (13). The maximum number of the delegates (39) had joined the organisation in, 24 in 2001 and 27 this year.

Through resolutions, among other things, the conference condemned the attack on Dalits at Duleena in Jhajjar, called for joint actions and coordinated activity with the SFI at district and tehsil levels, demanded free electricity for tribal regions, etc.

The conference elected a 28-member state committee with 3 vacancies. In turn, the new state committee elected a 12-member secretariat with Kushal Bhardwaj as president and Tikender Singh Panwar as general secretary.