After BJP’s successful membership drive in Punjab, its ally — the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) — has decided to strengthen its youth and student wing, coupled with empowering itself with the women power. The party’s youth wing would also organise a cycle rally to send across the message of “No to Drugs”.
Party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Friday called upon the party’s youth and students’ wings — Youth Akali Dal and Students’ Organisation of India — to work for the social causes. Besides, he also announced to form the party’s “all-girls’ wings” at Chandigarh’s Panjab University and Patiala’s Punjabi University. Sukhbir gave a clarion call to the office bearers of YAD and SOI to fulfill the youth’s aspirations by launching special awareness drives to educate them about various scholarship schemes.
Sukhbir, presiding over a high-level meeting, exhorted them to facilitate students and youngsters by providing requisite information regarding welfare initiatives especially scholarships to students. He said that they could launch a drive in this regard in schools, colleges and universities to ensure benefits are delivered to eligible candidates.
Asking them to come out with a new website of YAD and SOI, Sukhbir said that in this era of information technology, lakhs of youths could be provided necessary information through a detailed website. He also asked the SOI chiefs to initiate the process for setting up of gyms and fitness centers in hostels.
On the issue of girls’ wings, Sukhbir said that these wings will be formed soon. “Initially, these wings will be setup in Panjab University, Chandigarh and Punjabi University, Patiala,” he said. Focusing on the motto of ‘No to Drugs’, Sukhbir asked them to educate and make the general public aware about the impacts of drugs. “YAD and SOI would also organize a cycle rally at ludhiana against drugs on April 25,” he said.
Stressing upon the need to ensure inclusion of youth leaders with ‘clean image’, Sukhbir said that in the next two months, the membership drive for YAD and SOI will be expedited. “In the coming months, lakhs of students will be connected with these organizations through social media. Only those leaders having complete clean image will be made part of these organizations,” he said.
YAD chiefs have also been asked to launch membership drive from May 11, which will remain in process till July 15, while SOI will start membership drive from August 15 to September 15.These drives should reach up to the grass root level, Sukhbir asked the party wings.
SAD chief said that monthly review meetings would be held to get the status of drive and functioning of both organizations. Emphasizing the need to wage a unified war against drugs, Sukhbir said that YAD and SOI workers should actively work against this social ill. “They should work in tandem with general public to eliminate this menace in entirety,” he said while directing them to ensure that no bad element should be part of this campaign.