People's Democracy

 JKDYF Holds First State Conference

 They are singing in the darkest of times!

THE Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Youth Federation (JKDYF) held its first state conference at Srinagar from August 2 to 4. The JKDYF is the DYFI-affiliated state level youth organisation working in Jammu & Kashmir.

The conference started with a huge public meeting on August 2, followed by the delegates session on August 3 and 4. It concluded with the resolve to mobilise more and more youth on the slogan of education and employment for all, peace and democracy. The decision to hold the conference evoked the youth to take a commendable initiative to struggle for their cause through democratic means.

The conference was remarkable, particularly in the backdrop of the grim situation in Kashmir. The youth rally on August 2 was attended by around 10,000 youth. This was undoubtedly one of the biggest rallies in this trouble-torn state since 1990.

The rally was addressed by Mohd Yousuf Tarigami (MLA), Mohd Salim (former DYFI general secretary and West Bengal minister), DYFI president N N Krishna Das and general secretary Tapas Sinha, and Kheleel Ahmed (MLA).

The delegates session was inaugurated by Mohd Salim while N N Krishna Das, Tapas Sinha, K N Balagopal, Rakesh Sinha and Sakti Roy Choudhary also addressed the delegates.

A total of 272 delegates from 12 districts participated in the conference. They raised their concern about the burning problems like unemployment, militancy, administrative arbitrariness, etc, and they further pointed out how they are mobilising the youth in the state through democratic methods --- in an excruciating situation marked by indiscriminate killings of innocent people and political workers. Yet, quite encouragingly, the JKDYF registered a huge growth in its membership last year. The figure rose from 12,000 in 2001-02 to 53,000 in 2003.

The conference decided to go forward with a series of programmes and agitations for the cause of real development and peace in the state.

The conference elected a 40 member state committee with Mohd Yaqoob as president and Mohd Ameen as general secretary.