15-05-2025
Congress, DYFI slam decision to rename Nehru Yuva Kendra
An alleged decision to change the name of the Nehru Yuva Kendra has come in for sharp criticism from leaders of the Congress and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Kerala.
In a statement here recently, Congress leader and Nehru Centre chairman M.M. Hassan said the decision clearly illustrated how much the BJP feared the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. On coming to power, the Narendra Modi government had changed the name of several institutions that bore the name of Nehru, he alleged.
By changing the name of the Nehru Yuva Kendra, the government believed that it could erase the memory of Nehru from the minds of the young people. The Modi government displayed intolerance and a vengeful attitude towards Nehru, he said.
The DYFI has demanded that the Union government withdraw from the decision to change the name of the Nehru Yuva Kendra to 'Mera Yuva Bharat' in Hindi and 'My Bharat' in English. The decision, DYFI State secretary V.K. Sanoj told a press conference here, was part of the saffronisation agenda of the BJP government. The DYFI would hold protests outside the district offices of the Nehru Yuva Kendra on Friday, he said.
According to the DYFI, the coordinators and nodal officers of the Nehru Yuva Kendra were informed about the change in name and logo but were not provided with reasons for it. The decision was part of attempts to establish a distorted version of history. Sangh Parivar forces had been arbitrarily changing the names of institutions from the day they came to power, the DYFI alleged.
Asked about the decision regarding the change in name, Nehru Yuva Kendra officials here said 'they were awaiting instructions.'
