[Letter to NG Ranga]

Summary

This two-page carbon-copy letter, marked “Express Delivery” and dated 3 August 1964, is a sharp private note from Minoo Masani to Prof. N. G. Ranga about the state of the Swatantra Party’s organisation in Bengal. Masani expresses distress that Ranga, in what he calls an “unguarded moment,” encouraged one Patodia to reopen the Party office in Calcutta and resume activity — a move Masani says cuts directly across the fresh start he had been authorised by the Organisation Sub-Committee to build at the district level, with Patodia serving only as convenor of a new interim committee that has “proved such a complete failure.”

Masani reports that he has been visiting Calcutta and courting Bengali figures of standing to take up the work, arguing that the party’s chronic weakness in the province is the absence of indigenous Bengali leadership. He is blunt that four years under Patodia have produced nothing, that Patodia’s identity as a Marwari is — however unfair — a positive handicap in Bengal, and that nothing can be built in Bengal for the Party so long as it “centres around Patodia and Nandi, who though well meaning is also ineffective.” He has, he tells Ranga, already sent Patodia a telegram (copy enclosed) and asks Ranga to see both Patodia and Nandi before leaving Calcutta and instruct them to do nothing further under whatever plan Ranga may have discussed with them.

Masani closes by asking Ranga to “see that this little chapter is closed,” warning that any further movement along these lines would produce much larger repercussions injurious to the party. He notes that a separate telegram has gone to Ranga in reply to one just received about Bihar, and looks forward to meeting him shortly in Madras. The letter is addressed care of I. B. Rao at 36 B Motilal Nehru Road, Ballygunge, Calcutta 26, and carries Masani’s initials “mrm:pz” at the foot.

Key points

• Private letter from Minoo Masani to N. G. Ranga, 3 August 1964, on Swatantra Party organisation in Bengal.
• Masani was authorised by the Organisation Sub-Committee to restart Bengal work at the district level with Patodia only as convenor of an interim committee.
• Ranga, Masani complains, encouraged Patodia to reopen the Calcutta party office and resume activity, cutting across that plan.
• Masani argues the party’s chronic weakness in Bengal is the absence of indigenous Bengali leadership, and he has been recruiting Bengali contacts of standing.
• He judges Patodia’s four-year record a complete failure and treats his Marwari identity as a positive handicap in Bengal; Nandi is dismissed as well-meaning but ineffective.
• Masani has telegraphed Patodia (copy enclosed) and asks Ranga to instruct both Patodia and Nandi to halt any activity before leaving Calcutta.
• He asks Ranga to “close this little chapter” to protect the party from larger repercussions and mentions a separate telegram in reply to Ranga’s message about Bihar.