For ideas on revival, Youth Cong leaders to tap party veterans

At a time when the party's political fortunes appear to be sliding, youth leaders of Congress are looking to gain from the experience of its veterans who once wielded command of Youth Congress through a unique interaction here.
While it will be a trip down memory lane for top Congress leaders, the new crop of Congress members will have a chance to interact with those who led the youth body of the party at the 'Carvaan' meet, which is to be held on Dec. 5.
The event, a first-of-its-kind meet which is being organised by Youth Congress Chief Rajiv Satav, will be attended by party chief Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.

A number of AICC leaders who have risen in the party hierarchy are from Youth Congress backgrounds.
Party seniors Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Gurudas Kamat, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik and Ramesh Chennithala besides Manish Tewari, Randeep Surjewala and Ashok Tanwar have all served as the Youth Congress chief.
Senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes and Ashok Gehlot, who have all been the in-charge of Youth Congress at some point, have also been invited for the meet.

Besides, some former and serving chief ministers have also been invited who had served as Youth Congress chiefs in their states. These include Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The meeting, which comes six months after the party's worst debacle in Lok Sabha polls and subseqent defeats in Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, could be an occassion to galvanise the youth wing of the party for reaching out to youngsters.
During the Janta Party rule in the late 70s, Congress had fallen back on the Youth Congress, whose agitational tactics under the leadership of the late Sanjay Gandhi had helped the party to revive in a short span of time.