All work, no play for Congress delegates (Snippets)

"There were plans to take them (delegates) on a sightseeing tour which included the heritage sites followed by folk dances and puppet shows we had to cancel the programme as they were too busy," a well-informed source of the organising committee told IANS.

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Branded 'Nehru' jackets for Youth Congress

A majority of the young leaders and members of the Youth Congress are ditching the traditional Nehru jacket made of khadi for similar looking yet fashionable branded jackets -- interestingly, inspired by the party's youth icon, Rahul Gandhi.

Dressed in crisp white 'kurta pyjamas', the youth brigade could be seen donning jackets of brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas and Diesel at the three-day Chintan Shivir or brainstorming meet here.

"I had seen Rahul-ji wearing a similar jacket in a newspaper photograph and decided to get one for myself as well Moreover, these are warmer and look good too," said one of the Youth Congress members from Punjab who did not wish to be named.

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Of luxury SUVs and VIP numbers

They may still be learning the political ropes, but young Turks of the Youth Congress sure know how to drive around in style -- in big luxury Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs).

Several of the young leaders and members could be seen at the wheel of such vehicles at the venue of the 'Chintan Shivir' here. Almost all the SUV's had VIP numbers and white was the preferred colour.

The most popular cars were the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour SUV, both priced at around Rs.20 lakh, followed by Tata Safari and the Mahindra XUV 500, which are in the price range of Rs.12 to Rs.15 lakh.

Some of the senior Congress leaders arrived in SUVs too but it was the youth brigade that clearly dominated where style was concerned.