The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) launched a twenty-day pre-membership awareness drive for the State at the Congress Bhawan here on Sunday. AICC secretary and Odisha in-charge Mirza Irshad Baig, IYC secretary Mohd Shahnawaz Choudhury and Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) president Pradip Majhi (MP) jointly inaugurated the programme. The drive will be followed by a month-long membership enrollment campaign.
Irshad Baig told newsmen at the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters that AICC will extend full patronage to the IYC team, now in Odisha, in the membership drive and instructed the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) and all the Districts Congress Committees (DCC) to extend their full cooperation to the IYC members during the process.
Baig said the IYC is going to conduct organisational elections in the State soon after the membership drive. As to eligibility for membership and participation in the elections he laid the age limit between 18 and 35 years. Youth believing in secular ideology and with clean image can become members and contest the elections for any post.
Mohd. Shahnawaz said AICC General secretary Rahul Gandhi belived that leadership should not be imposed on the youth, rather they must choose their leaders in a democratic manner.
OPYC president Majhi appealed to the youth of Odisha to join the Youth Congress and contribute to the progress of the country.
Among others, Pradesh Congress Committee(PCC) spokesperson Kailash Acharya, IYC zonal co-ordinator Iftikar Ahemad and Pankaj Basotra were also present.
