Rahul Gandhi visiting Himachal to strengthen students’ wing
October 12th, 2009 - 2:34 pm ICT by IANS
Shimla, Oct 12 (IANS) Congress general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Himachal Pradesh Tuesday to woo students and infuse new life into the party’s students’ wing - the National Students Union of India (NSUI) - in the state.
Gandhi will have interactive sessions Tuesday morning with the students of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla, and later in the afternoon with the youth in Dharamsala, 30 km from the district headquarters town of Kangra.
“The aim of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the hill state is to strengthen the party’s student wing. He is coming here to spread the ideology of the party and to infuse fresh life into it,” NSUI’s national general secretary Ragini Nayak told IANS here Monday.
She said Gandhi would also interact with members of various youth organisations affiliated to other political parties.
“It’s just an interactive session to understand the pulse of the youth. For this, any student organisation can come and discuss their issues and aspirations with our youth leader. It is just a platform for discussing issues,” she said.
In Shimla, the interactive session would be held in the HPU campus, whereas in Dharamsala it would be held in the municipal council hall.
In student politics in the state, the NSUI has been marginalised over the years. The HPU has long been a bastion of the Student Federation of India (SFI), a wing of the Communist Party of India - Marxist, and the NSUI has not been able to win even a single seat in the past one decade.
However, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a wing of the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has managed to build inroads into university politics by winning a few seats in the recent student elections.
Ragini said the visit of Gandhi would also boost the membership drive launched by the NSUI.
“We have already launched a membership drive in the state. Currently, we have more than 30,000 students enrolled with the NSUI,” she said.
Meanwhile, the police have made elaborate security arrangements.
Shimla Superintendent of Police R.M. Sharma said the Congress leader was scheduled to reach here on a chartered plane at around 9 a.m. and would drive straight to the party office and then to the HPU.
“We have made special security arrangements for his visit,” he said.
- Rahul to tour Uttar Pradesh - Jan 08, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi to begin two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh Monday - Jan 17, 2010
- Rahul Gandhi to visit Himachal Pradesh Oct 13 (Lead) - Oct 09, 2009
- Rahul Gandhi to attract J&K; youth - Sep 25, 2011
- Student's clash: Congress calls strike in Tripura - May 22, 2011
- Join politics to cleanse it, Rahul tells students (Roundup) - Jan 10, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi in favour of direct election for Youth Congress - Jan 27, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi arrives in Jammu - Sep 27, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi interacts with Himachal varsity students - Oct 13, 2009
- Rahul Gandhi to visit Shimla next week - Oct 09, 2009
- Rahul to open mega Youth Congress show in Delhi (Lead) - Nov 26, 2011
- Rahul to inaugurate Youth Congress show in Delhi - Nov 26, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi to visit Meghalaya - Sep 20, 2011
- Congress youth leaders launch membership drive in Bihar - Jan 12, 2010
- Manmohan Singh cleanest man in Indian politics: Rahul Gandhi - Nov 26, 2010
Tags: akhil, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, district headquarters, himachal pradesh university, hpu shimla, interactive session, interactive sessions, membership drive, national students, nayak, ragini, rahul gandhi, student elections, student federation, student organisation, student politics, tuesday morning, university politics, youth leader