[Letter to Piloo Mody]

Summary

This untitled letter, dated 26 March 1974 and written by S. V. Raju from Bombay to Piloo Mody, addresses a dispute over gratuity or terminal benefits after Raju’s fourteen years of service. Raju says that the Swatantra Party’s financial difficulties were longstanding, but that until April 1971 it had continued to fulfil its commitments to staff. He also rebukes Mody for his treatment of Srinivasan, arguing that Srinivasan had not handed over his office properly and owed the party Rs. 5,800.

Raju then turns to the organisation of the party’s national headquarters. He acknowledges a longstanding disagreement with Mody, but argues that the headquarters survived because it was run on business-like lines. In his view, its role had by then been reduced to that of a post office and it was effectively superfluous, since decisions could be taken at the residences of office-bearers over drinks or dinner. The page does not identify the title beyond the correspondence itself or provide further context about the dispute.

Key points

• Raju thanks Piloo Mody for clarifying the position regarding gratuity or terminal benefits.
• He describes the Swatantra Party’s financial difficulties as a problem that had existed from its beginning.
• He states that the party fulfilled its commitments to staff until April 1971.
• He defends the party’s claim against Srinivasan, who allegedly owed Rs. 5,800 and had not properly handed over his office.
• He argues that the party’s national headquarters had become functionally unnecessary.
• He attributes the headquarters’ survival to business-like management and says decisions could be taken informally at office-bearers’ residences.