Youth Congress to play pro-active role: Liju

M. Liju

: The Youth Congress will conduct political campaigns to divert the youth from the path of communalism and terrorism, said Youth Congress State president M. Liju. A resolution in this regard was adopted at the recently concluded State conference of the organisation.

Talking to The Hindu here after the organisation's State conference, which was conducted after a gap of 27 years, Mr. Liju said lack of proper democratic and political foresight was the main cause for a section of youth taking to communalism and terrorism. The ideologically strong will not choose such a path, he said.

The Youth Congress will also make interventions in social issues such as arresting the growing trend of liquor consumption among the youth. The State needs strong and serious campaigns to wean away youth from alcohol consumption. Environment protection will be another agenda of the party, he said adding that in spite of being a serious issue, environment protection seems to be taken up only by non- governmental organisations and not politicians.

Mr. Liju said the Youth Congress will strive for the coordination of youngsters in the State unit of the Congress based on ideology. The organisation will function without regard to group equations. The success of the State conference had ideologically strengthened the Youth Congress, he said.

Mr. Liju said there was shortage of youth representation in the State unit of the Congress and the situation had to be rectified. The forthcoming elections to local bodies will see the Youth Congress acting as a big booster for the success of the Congress. The main strategy will be to stump any Left advantage and for that a strong presence of the youth in the fray from the Congress side was required.

He called for the constitution of Union government-controlled district-level monitoring bodies to oversee and ensure the success of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the State.

Mr. Liju said while Rs.800 crore was allocated to the State for the scheme, hardly Rs.200 crore had been utilised.

The Youth Congress will not compromise on the stand that the pension age should not be raised. Unlike in other States, in Kerala the State government was still the biggest employment provider. Thousands of youngsters with high educational qualifications are waiting for an opportunity to enter government service. Raising the pension age will convert all existing PSC rank lists null and void..