RESOLUTION FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE SWATANTRA PARTY, NEW DELHI, AUGUST 4, 1974

Summary

This eight-page item records a 4 August 1974 resolution for consideration by the Swatantra Party’s National Convention in New Delhi. It acknowledges disappointment among delegates who believed the party’s principles remained valid, but resolves to dissolve the Swatantra Party as a political party and convert it into a non-party, constructive service organisation called the Swatantra Seva Sangh. The new organisation is intended to preserve and popularise Swatantra principles while leaving electoral and parliamentary activity to a proposed new political party. The resolution was proposed by M. R. Masani and seconded by Subramanian; the second page is dated 16 July 1974.

Pages 3–6 reproduce a constitution for the Swatantra Seva Sangh. It defines the organisation’s aims, membership rules, general meetings, executive committee, state and local units, finances, rule-making authority, amendment procedure, and quorum. The constitution excludes office-bearers of political parties and members of Parliament or state assemblies from membership, and directs the Sangh to avoid electoral and legislative politics. Pages 7–8 are a separate Tamil-language printed item attributed to T. S. Santhanam, presented as a ten-question discussion of whether an independent party is necessary; its full context and relationship to the resolution are not identified in the document.

Key points

• The resolution proposes dissolving the Swatantra Party to facilitate formation of a new political party.
• It argues that Swatantra principles and policies remain valid and should continue to be taught and advanced.
• The Swatantra Seva Sangh is established as a non-party service organisation devoted to constructive and educative work.
• The Sangh is expressly barred from electoral and parliamentary activity at Union and state levels.
• Membership is generally limited to adults who accept the Sangh’s aims and are not political office-bearers or legislators.
• The constitution creates national, state, regional, district, and primary-level bodies, with authority centred on an elected Executive Committee.
• The appended Tamil item raises questions about the need for an independent political party but is not translated or catalogued separately here.