Enough of defining and explaining imperialism; what is needed is to eliminate it from the world – a declaration made at the convention
Delhi, (Asian independent) On the historic occasion of the 90th anniversary of India’s socialist movement a two-day Youth Socialist Convention in Delhi from October 31 (Acharya Narendra Deva’s Birth Anniversary) to November 1, 2025 at Rajendra Bhawan, Delhi under the aegis of Youth Socialist Initiative (YSI) – a platform works under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Prem Singh, a renowned socialist, ex- national president of Socialist Party (India), ex-faculty of Delhi University and ex-fellow off IIAS, Shimla. Young socialist comrades from almost all states of the country participated in this convention. Youth from other streams associated with transformative politics also took part in the convention. Youth Socialist Initiative is a platform of young individuals that brings together academics, intellectuals, scholars, students, trade union leaders, farmers’ leaders, social activists and politicians.
The convention brought together young male and female socialists from various parts of the country who participated with great enthusiasm. During the event, a collective resolve was made to prepare a new generation of intellectual and political leadership for the furtherance of the Indian Socialist Movement and ideology along with the values of the freedom struggle. It strongly opposes neo-imperialist capitalism as well as the nexus of corporate-communal-fascist nexus in contemporary Indian politics. The Youth Socialist Initiative is a movement aimed at educating the youth about socialist thoughts and constitutional values through organizing conferences, discussions, workshops and seminars along with various action programs over the next ten years until the 100th anniversary of the Indian Socialist Movement.
The aim of this campaign would be building a decisive public opinion in favour of socialist, constitutional policies, as opposed to the current corporate-communal political nexus and neoliberal policies imposed by this very nexus. The goal of the YSI is to build a strong socialist/constitutional ideological foundation among the youth through diverse social, political, and cultural activities, leading up to the centenary celebrations of the glorious Indian Socialist Movement in the coming decade.
The convention was inaugurated by Dr. Abhijit Vaidya, former National President of the Socialist Yuvjan Sabha (SYS) and presided over by Professor Anil Mishra, a political scientist and former faculty at Delhi University. The Convention begins with the recorded inaugural speech of Dr. Abhijit Vaidya, former president of Socialist Yuvjan Sabha (SYS) as he was unable to attend the convention being busy with the rehabilitation work in the flood affected areas of Maharashtra. Senior socialist ideologues/scholars and leaders including Prof. G Satyanarayan, Arun Srivastav, Jayanti Bhai Panchal, Rajasekaran Nair, EK Sreenivasan, Appa Saheb, Shahid Saleem, Aditya Kumar, Charan Singh Rajput, Devender Awana along with the chairperson Prof. Anil Mishra enlightened youths with their insightful speeches at the inaugural session.
On the first Day of the convention three resolutions – A Socialist Perspective on Economic policy, A Socialist Perspective on Health Policy and A Socialist Perspective on Education Policy were presented, discussed and passed in the conventions. The session on Socialist Perspective on Economic Policy was chaired by Prof. Arun Kumar, eminent economists and conducted by Dr. Hiranaya Himkar, DU faculty. Jyoti Chauhan read the resolution prepared by Prof. Arun Kumar himself. The lack of employment opportunities, poverty, and budgetary allocation for welfare policies, GST reforms, rural economy, and redistribution of agricultural land, caste sensitive urbanization, black economy and corruption were some of the key issues raised by the youths in the session. Prof. Arun Kumar highlights the need to regain the eroded sovereignty of the Indian state due the intervention of IMF and World Bank to make the economic policy more people friendly. He also cautioned against the growing economic disparity in the country.
0The session on Socialist Perspective on Health Policy was chaired by Dr. Sunilam. Raj read the resolution. The session on Socialist Perspective on Education Policy was chaired by senior socialist and advocate Mr. Rajasekaran Nair. Raj Rani read the resolution prepared by Prof. Anil Sadgopal. Dr. Hemlata, DU faculty, conducted the session. A socialist roadmap for the health and education sector was presented in these sessions.
After the brainstorming ideological sessions a poetry evening, organized by Lohia Vichar Vedi and Sahitya Varta, was held. The poetry session was chaired by prominent Hindi poet, Shri Girdhar Rathi. Senior poets Shri Mithilesh Srivastav, Shri Rakesh Renu and Shri Rajender Rajan also honoured the intellectual gathering by their poetry reading. Young and emerging poets Adnan Kafil Darvesh, Anupam Singh, Saroj Kumari, Mahzabeen, Archana Lark, Javed Alam, Alok Mishra and Harsh Pandey also recited their poetry.
On the second and final day of the convention, discussions were held and resolutions were passed on Employment Policy, Development Policy, and Cultural Policy from a socialist and constitutional perspective. The session on the Employment Policy was chaired by senior journalist and writer Mr. Arvind Mohan. Vandana Pande read the resolution. The session was conducted by Dr. Hiranya Himkar. The session on the Development Policy was presided over by Dr. Ajit Jha, former faculty member of the University of Delhi. Ilma Malik read the resolution prepared by Arun Tripathi. The session on Cultural Policy was chaired by Mr. Aditya Kumar, advocate and president of Indian Socialist Manch. Neeraj Kumar read the resolution prepared by Prof. Rajaram Tolpadi. Mr. Rajesh Kumar conducted the session.
The valedictory session of the conference was chaired by senior trade union leader Mr. Jayanti Bhai Panchal. Speakers at this session congratulated and extended best wishes to the YSI entire team for successfully organizing the convention and gave their suggestions for the future activities. Speakers especially appealed to the youth to take the socialist movement to the streets over the next ten years and to prioritize the fundamental issues of the people. A collective pledge was made to raise public awareness against imperialist capitalism and the exploitative nexus of communal and corporate forces.
Young socialist students and leaders also emphasized the need to address the exploitative role of the Manuvadi–Brahminical caste system within the framework of capitalism, and urged that the socialist movement must clearly define its strategy for eliminating caste and gender based inequalities in Indian society.
Dr. Prem Singh proposed the formation of a national committee comprising two members from each state, one woman and one man. Similarly, he also suggested that state-level committees with ten members each, ensuring equal representation of women and men, should be constituted. Through this structure, a national and state-level organizational network could be built to coordinate and lead various socialist activities across India over the next decade.
Dr. Prem Singh called upon socialist leaders and activists to not wait for electoral victories or the formation of governments to bring socialist ideas to the ground. He emphasized that this is a direct battle between the idea and the market (bazar), and the socialist movement must communicate this message clearly to the public. To achieve this, he underlined the importance of the active cultural presence of socialist workers during festivals and social gatherings in Indian society throughout the year.
He also proposed the development of socialist media and urged for the expansion of the socialist movement on social media platforms. He placed special emphasis on reviving student political activism under the banner of the Socialist Yuvjan Sabha (SYS). During the discussion, young socialist leaders apprised the convention of the practical financial and legal challenges faced while doing student politics. Dr. Prem Singh suggested that a political workers’ fund should be established to support the full time young political activists, particularly in student politics.
The conference expressed deep concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Shaheed Saleem Ji informed the participants about the current issues facing the region. Dr. Prem Singh honored Shaheed Saleem Ji and reaffirmed that the Indian Socialist Movement has always been concerned and committed to the Kashmir cause and will be so in the future.
The convention concluded with great enthusiasm and participation. A large number of youth, political leaders, academicians, farmers, workers, and common citizens from across the country took part in the event. On both days, the grand auditorium of Rajendra Bhavan remained packed with an attentive and energetic audience, reflecting the growing interest of Indian people, especially the youth in the renewal of the socialist movement in India.
A resolution was passed in favour of establishing immediate peace in Gaza and a two-nation solution to the problem.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Shashi Shekhar Singh, faculty member, Department of Political Science, Satyawati College, University of Delhi.
At the end a two minute silence was observed in homage to Dr. GG Parikh, who passed away last month.
Released by Dr. Hiranya Himkar for Youth Socialist Initiative.
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