West Bengal: DYFI Conference Calls Upon Youth to Fight Communalism, Unemployment

Kolkata: The Democratic Youth Federation of India’s (DYFI) 21st conference has pledged to fight communalism and unemployment, as well as struggle against imperialism in the new global setup.

The conference, held in Berhampore Town of Murshidabad district, began with a huge public meeting at Cantonment Road area. The DYFI leaders claimed they had planned to organise the public meeting on a local playground but the district administration refused to give permission. 

Addressing the public meeting from the Naujawan Sabha Centenary Stage, CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohd Salim said, “The youth of West Bengal have always stood with those who are fighting against imperialism and Zionism. It’s time to stand with Palestine. People who stand for peace should stand with Palestine”.  

Salim said: “Those who are using religion to capture state power across the world and in our country, are the same people who are hitting hard on our right of employment. We should unite people to fight against these forces”.

He blamed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) state government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government for “disrupting development of West Bengal”. “We need to strengthen Left forces to save our country”, he added.

DYFI all-India president and Rajya Sabha MP, A A Rahim, said: “This is a dark age for Indian youth. The organisation appeals to the youth of Bengal and the country to “give us strength, so that we can eradicate the darkness”.

Rahim said unemployment was increasing, and the youth were being forced to work as gig workers without any job security. “They are not even getting recognition as workers,” he added. 

The DYFI leader accused the government of “removing permanent jobs from banks, insurance and the public sector. Even in the Indian Army, the same is being done through the Agniveer scheme. Reservations for Dalits, adivasis and minorities are being decreased. In this situation, the Left is the only alternative”.

He cited the example of how the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala was creating alternative jobs with the highest number of new jobs in the public sector.

Rahim blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for corruption in jobs. The “TMC government is doing scams only. There is corruption everywhere. Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is not fighting BJP. Rather it is helping the BJP by promoting communalism and corruption. BJP and TMC are teams of betrayal,” he added.

He also raised questions on recent developments over the Pahalgam terror attack. “Where are the killers? The government is speaking about nationalism every day. But it does nothing when people are being attacked by terrorist forces.  The Narendra Modi government is busy in image- building instead of protecting our people”, he said.

DYFI All India secretary Himaghnaraj Bhattacharjee said: “In the TMC government era, 8,000 schools have been shut. The previous Left Front government changed the social scenario with land distribution, panchayat raj and education policies. But the TMC, after coming to power, has reverted the movement of development. Each year there is a decrease in the number of students in madhyamik. Everyday young men and women from West Bengal are going to other states to work as migrant workers.”

On MGNREGA, he said the scheme was implemented due to the intervention of Left MPs in Parliament. “But due to corruption and anti-poor politics of TMC and BJP, the MGNREGA had hit a pause in Bengal. But after the new court orders, TMC leaders are planning to loot the money of MGNREGA again. But this time, the DYFI will not let this happen. We will put up resistance in every gram panchayat against corruption and loot”, he said.

Addressing the public meeting, DYFI West Bengal state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee said: “To save West Bengal, We need to end gunda-raaj (hooliganism) in West Bengal. DYFI will do that before the upcoming elections of 2026. Our workers will be present on each booth and all fields challenging  the gunda raaj of police and TMC-backed criminals”, adding that “only Left forces can stop communalism and riots. “

She cited the example of Samserganj, alleging that “looting happened under police supervision. Killings also happened. Police are to be blamed for incidents of Samserganj and Suti”. 

Earlier, inaugurating the conference, former DYFI Bengal state secretary and CPI(M) central committee member, Abhas Roychowdhury, said: “We need to find a silver lining in struggle during these hard times. The task before the Bengal youth is hard, but it is not impossible. Amid the rise of the Far Right, rise of inequality and rise of corruption, DYFI workers should intensify struggles against divisive communal politics”

About 400 delegates from all across West Bengal are attending the conference which includes two exhibitions – on the work of late film director Mrinal Sen and about the Murshidabad violence.