Rahul scraps Youth Congress magazine

New Delhi

Sept. 8: AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have scrapped the proposed magazine of the Youth Congress after he found the presentation of the draft magazine suggestive of becoming a “platform of breeding sycophancy within the party”.
Sources said that Mr Gandhi expressed displeasure on the draft magazine of the Youth Congress.
The draft, which included articles written by senior Congress leaders along with profiles of other party stalwarts, was shown to Mr Gandhi by the editor-in-chief of the proposed magazine, Ms Chainika Oniyal, and four other members of the editorial board — Chandan Yadav, Amit Jogi, Pradyut Burman and Mrinal Pant.
“Mr Gandhi was unhappy the way the magazine project was dealt with. He found the draft magazine looking like a platform to breed sycophancy within the party,” sources said, adding, “He scrapped the magazine proposal for now, saying that he does not want the youth voice to become another party mouthpiece like Congress Sandesh.”
Mr Gandhi is learnt to have told the Youth Congress leaders that he would revisit the magazine project on a later date with a professional approach.
“The Congress general secretary expressed his wish that he wants the proposed magazine to be brought out by more competent people and professionals having experience in the field of journalism.
The magazine will be a non-profit making venture,” sources added.
A member of the editorial board of the proposed magazine, however, said on the condition of anonymity that the proposal has been rather put on hold and not scrapped. “Mr Gandhi does not want to rush in with the magazine. He wants more serious approach.
He has indicated that the magazine should be apolitical and focus more on social issues.
Though there will be coverage of politics, it has to be objective so that the youth gets attracted towards politics,” added one of the editors of the magazine.