Abbreviation DYFI Headquarters New Delhi, India General Secretary Avoy Mukherjee | Formation 1980 President P A Mohammed Riyaz Website www.dyfi.in | |
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Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) (in Hindi भारत कि जनवादी नौजवन सभा, Bharat ki Janvadi Naujavan Sabha) is a Democratic Youth Organisation in India. It was founded in its inaugural conference held from 1–3 November 1980 at Shaheed Kartar Singh Saraba village in Ludhiana, Punjab.
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As of 2012, DYFI had a membership of 2.2 million which rose from 1.4 million in 2011. The annual membership fee of DYFI is a meager Rs. 2 and is open to all youth between the age 15 and 40 irrespective of their political ideology. Although it acts as the principle mass organisation of CPI(M) as its youth wing.
DYFI identifies itself to be an independent organisation, however a number of leaders of the CPI(M), including former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who was a former secretary of Bengal fraction, and a founder Central Committee member of DYFI, Manik Sarkar - the present chief minister of Tripura - was a vice president of the organisation, and M. Vijayakumar who was the speaker of Kerala legislative assembly was once former all-India president of DYFI.
Affiliations
DYFI is a member of World Federation of Democratic Youth.
The DYFI affiliate in Jammu and Kashmir is called Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Youth Federation. In Tripura there is a separate body, affiliated to DYFI, called Tribal Youth Federation.
History
The organisation was formed on 3 November 1980 from its inaugural conference held at Saheed Kartar Singh Saraba Village, Ludhiana, Punjab from 31 October to 3 November. Prior to formation, the leaders of KSYF of Kerala, Socialist Valibar organisation of Tamil Nadu, Nav Jawan Sabha of Punjab, DYF of West Bengal etc. assembled in Delhi and gave shape to a Preparatory Committee. This committee conducted a conference in Ludhiana from 1 to 3 November for the formation of DYFI. The constitution and programme of the new organisation was adopted in this conference.
DYFI opposes the commercialisation of education in India. In on 25 November 1994 five members of DYFI were shot dead by the state police force, when five DYFI activists protested against commercialisation of higher education at Koothuparambu in Kannur district, Kerala: Rajeevan, Roshan, Madhu, Shibu Lal, and Babu. Comrade Pushpan remains bedbound with paralysis after being shot by police bullet in his body.
Most of the funding for DYFI fund is through collections from its members, and at times it raises fund from the general public. For this they hold fund collection drives during a specific time by all of its units.
Publications
At the national level, DYFI publishes the magazine Naujawan Drishti (Youth Stream). On state level there are various publications, such as Jubashakti in West Bengal, Yuvadhara in Kerala, and Yuvasangharsh in Maharashtra.