Headquarters New Delhi | Founded 1978 Ideology Conservatism | |
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) (translation: Indian People Youth Front) is the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was founded in 1978, and its first national president was Kalraj Mishra.
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Organisation
The highest authority in the BJYM is the National President.The National Executive consists of an undetermined number of senior party leaders from across the nation who are the highest decision-making body in the party. At the state level, a similar structure is in place, with every state unit being led by a president.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is a cadre based party, with the members of its affiliates, such as the BJYM, frequently supplementing that of the main party. Many prominent leaders of the BJP, such as Rajnath Singh, Pramod Mahajan, and Shivraj Singh Chauhan, were once National Presidents of BJYM.
BJYM maintains close relation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other organisations in the RSS family, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch.
Campaigns
In 2003, members of the BJYM joined BJP members in protesting against two plays written by the playwright Habib Tanvir, on the grounds that they were an attack on Hindu culture. The plays were a critique of the caste system, superstition, and untouchability.
Amit Satam, the youth president of the organisation in Mumbai and a small group protested outside of the Fort campus of Mumbai University during a conference related to Wikipedia.
In 2006, the BJYM successfully campaigned for a ban against the Aamir Khan film Rang de Basanti. The campaign was begun in reaction to Khan's public statement opposing the expansion of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
During the 15th Lok Sabha elections in 2009, the BJYM supported the BJP's campaign to bring back Indian black money stored in Swiss banks.
The BJYM has protested several times against price rise and high inflation, particularly in reaction to the high rate of inflation in India since 2000.
In 2007, the BJYM demanded a special youth policy, as well as the prioritization of local businesses over multinational corporations, in order to address the rate of unemployment.
In 2008, the Youth morcha staged a campaign demanding the improvement of government health facilities. Specific issues it raised included filling vacancies, especially those of gynaecologists, orthopaedics and surgeons; improving the cleanliness of the hospital; and the provision of 24-hour medical services.
On 1 June 2009 Youth Morcha held a protest against the recent attacks on Indian students studying in Australia and demanding increased security for them. A six-member BJYM delegation also met the Australian High Commissioner, John McCarthy, and Deputy High Commissioner Sarah Hooper to express its dismay over the attacks.
In 2008, the Youth Mocha campaigned against unemployment and terrorism in Kerala, stating that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) state government was soft on terrorism.