[Letter from Mr Minoo Masani]

Summary

This two-page Swatantra Party parliamentary correspondence, dated 11–12 August 1965, concerns a planned motion of no confidence in the Council of Ministers. A. P. Jain informs Minoo Masani that the motion has secured its first position and notes that additional no-confidence motions have been tabled by S. M. Banerjee, Hembarua on behalf of the PSP, Parkash Vir Shastri, and some Jan Sangh members.

The letter reports that Prof. Ranga favours a separate discussion of the Government’s failure on the economic front rather than pressing the motion to a vote, since other motions might otherwise be disallowed for lacking the required support of 50 members. Jain says that a Swatantra Party meeting has been fixed for Monday morning and issues a whip requiring members to be present in the Lok Sabha on 16 August when the motion is expected to come to a vote. A separate one-page whip repeats the attendance instruction and specifies 11:45 a.m. as the latest expected time.

Key points

• The Swatantra Party’s no-confidence motion in the Council of Ministers had secured first position.
• Other no-confidence motions had also been tabled by S. M. Banerjee, Hembarua for the PSP, Parkash Vir Shastri, and some Jan Sangh members.
• Prof. Ranga advised discussing the Government’s failure on the economic front separately rather than immediately pressing the motion to a vote.
• The letter states that motions lacking the support of 50 members could be disallowed under the Rules.
• A Swatantra Party meeting was scheduled for Monday morning.
• The party whip instructed members to attend the Lok Sabha on 16 August 1965, when the motion was likely to be voted on.