Indian Youth Congress

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The Indian Youth Congress is the youth wing of the indian national congress and is the largest democratic youth organisation in the world. The last membership drive that was conducted gave the Indian Youth Congress a membership of over 40 lakh across the country. The Indian Youth Congress has its headquarters in Delhi at 5, Raisina Road, and is presently headed by Sh. Ashok Tanwar. There are 29 office bearers at the national level, followed by the state, district and block level. The Indian Youth Congress has a unit in every block of the country, numbering approximately 8800.

The Indian Youth Congress functioned as a cell or department of the Indian National Congress from the period just after 1947 till the late 1960's. It was late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi that gave the youth congress a new dimension by establishing it as a frontal organisation of the congress, with the objective of doing social work as well as countering the rhetoric that was being spread by the rightist forces. Sh. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, currently Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary affairs, Government of India was the first elected President of the Indian Youth CongresS, although Sh. Narayan Dutt Tiwari was the first President.

The 1970's were the golden days of the Indian Youth Congress. Under the leadership of Sanjay Gandhi the youth congress undertook activities such as tree plantation, family planning, and fought against domestic violence and dowry deaths. After the death of Sanjay Gandhi, Sh. Rajiv Gandhi took over as the AICC incharge of the youth congress. And after he became the prime minister, he of course gave a whole new direction to youth affairs in the country. By reducing the voting age to 18, he made youth direct participators in parliamentary democracy and this had its effect on the youth congress.

Today, the youth congress is committed to the principles of democracy and is determined to take forward the vision of Rajiv ji of a 21st century India to all corners of the country.