[Letter to Raja]

Summary

A one-page typewritten letter dated 23 February 1963, sent from 85 Lodi Estate, New Delhi, by B. Shiva Rao to C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). Shiva Rao thanks Rajaji for a recent note and then presses him on a single political point: he wishes Rajaji himself could be persuaded to contest one of the upcoming Lok Sabha by-elections and personally lead the parliamentary Opposition. He argues that the by-elections offer a rare chance to strengthen the Opposition benches, and urges that every effort be made to return Acharya Kriplani, Ashok Mehta and Minoo Masani to the Lok Sabha.

Shiva Rao acknowledges that funding will be a major constraint, but insists the more decisive question is coordination between the different Opposition groups — along the lines he had proposed in an earlier letter — so that non-Congress candidates do not split the same seat. He tells Rajaji that only he can take the initiative on such collaboration. A postscript adds a personal note: Mr. Crocker, formerly Australia’s High Commissioner in New Delhi and now Ambassador in Holland, lunched with Shiva Rao two days earlier on his way to Sydney, sent his respectful regards, and mentioned that he continues to read Rajaji’s weekly “Swarajya” with great appreciation.

A handwritten line at the foot of the page — apparently added by Rajaji himself when forwarding this “true copy” — is addressed “My Dear Masani” and notes that Masani “may find this letter of some interest,” signed “C.R.”, making the document a small piece of the Swatantra-era opposition-building correspondence.

Key points

• Shiva Rao urges Rajaji to personally contest a Lok Sabha by-election and lead the Opposition in Parliament.
• He identifies Acharya Kriplani, Ashok Mehta and Masani as three figures who must be returned to the Lok Sabha.
• He treats funding as important but secondary; the decisive problem is inter-party coordination among opposition groups.
• He revives an earlier proposal for opposition groups to jointly eliminate surplus candidates from contested seats.
• He tells Rajaji explicitly that only he can take the initiative on such an anti-Congress electoral collaboration.
• A postscript conveys regards from Mr. Crocker (former Australian High Commissioner, then Ambassador at The Hague), who reads Swarajya regularly.
• The archival copy is a ‘True copy’ that Rajaji has hand-forwarded to Minoo Masani with a brief note.