It is a left-wing organisation founded in its inaugural conference held from 1–3 November 1980 at Shaheed Kartar Singh Saraba village in Ludhiana, Punjab. As of 2012, DYFI had a membership strength of 16.2 million which rose from 13.4 million in 2011.The annual membership fee of DYFI is a meager Rs. 2 and is open to all youth between the age 15 and 40 irrespective of their political ideology. DYFI
identifies itself to be an independent organisation, however a number of eminent leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) like former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya who was a former secretary of Bengal fraction and a founder Central Committee member of DYFI, Manik Sarkar - the present chief minister of Tripura - was a vice president of the organisation, M. Vijayakumar who was the speaker of Kerala legislative assembly was once former all-India president of DYFI
The organisation was formed on 3 November 1980 from its inaugural conference held at Saheed Kartar Singh Saraba Village, Ludhiana, Punjab from 31 October to 3 November. Prior to formation, the leaders of KSYF of Kerala, Socialist Valibar organisation of Tamil Nadu, Nav Jawan Sabha of Punjab, DYF of West Bengal etc. assembled in Delhi and gave shape to a Preparatory Committee. This committee conducted a conference in Ludhiana from 1 to 3 November for the formation of DYFI. The constitution and programme of the new organisation was adopted in this conference. DYFI is very proactive in fighting against the commercialisation of education in India. In on 25 November 1994 five members of DYFI were shot dead by the state police force, when the DYFI activists protested against commercialisation of higher education at Koothuparambu in Kannur district, Kerala.
