BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Congress is set to form a new "non-political" outfit called the Bal Congress whose members will be in the 16-20 age group, a party functionary said on Saturday.
The outfit will be formed on Sunday, to coincide with the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, celebrated nationwide as Children's Day or Bal Diwas.
"The party has outfits like NSUI for people above the age of 21. Bal Congress will be for those in the 16-20 age group. It will be set up to mark Bal Diwas. State unit chief Kamal Nath will formally launch the new organisation," MP Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta told PTI.
"Bal Congress will not be a political outfit. Young people associated with this organisation will be taught the history of the Congress as well as that of the freedom struggle. It will spread the message of patriotism and nation-building," he added.
These adolescents will be taught about subjects like art of speech, personality development and communication skills, and kin of freedom fighters will also be contacted, he said, adding that former minister and Congress MLA Bala Bachchan has been made in charge of this new outfit.
Mocking the move, MP BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said, "This is ridiculous. I think most Congress leaders are behaving in a childish manner, so senior leaders like Rahul Gandhi should also be made members of this outfit."