Bjp Plans To Form National Youth Army

The BJP is planning to form a national reconstruction youth army (NRYA) for students between 18-25 years as a part of its proposed youth policy. This compulsory public service programme is to be implemented if the BJP comes to power at the Centre, says one of those involved in formulating the policy.

Although the contours of the programme are yet to take shape, the idea has been given a green signal by party President LK Advani and former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

General Secretary KN Govindacharya, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Uma Bharati, Swadeshi Jagran Manchs convenor S Gurumurthy and Sudheendra Kulkarni, a new entrant into the BJPs think tank, are involved in finalising the form and shape of the youth army.

Under the programme, every student would have to devote at least one year for training and public work. Of this, the first six months would be for training and the rest for field work. Failure to undertake this would disqualify a person for government service and bank and government loans.

The idea reportedly came from Uma Bharati, who plans to present the partys youth policy at the BJYMs first national convention in New Delhi on October 13 and 14. The BJPs think tank is currently busy finalising the minute details of the proposed youth policy. A meeting is scheduled on October 7 to give final shape to the youth policy.

Samata party president George Fernandes and former member of the planning commission LC Jain, besides Bharati are reportedly preparing papers on their concepts of the youth army, a BJP leader said. A final view would be taken after knowing their views, he added.

BJYM functionaries have talked to representatives of some embassies and are confident that this would be a novel scheme, one of them claimed.

Among other singificant aspects of the proposed youth policy are vocationalisation of education after class ten and allowing higher education only on merit. Some party leaders are also lobbying with Vajpayee to agree to have a separate ministry for youth affairs if the BJP comes to power. The youth policy may also demand setting up of a youth commission to discuss and resolve problems faced by the young.