[Letter to NG Ranga]

Summary

In this letter dated 1 June 1964, Kapur Singh, M.P., writes to Prof. N.G. Ranga to report growing discontent among Swatantra Party members in Parliament. He argues that decisions on nominations to parliamentary committees, foreign-tour teams, and other party matters are being made arbitrarily by a small clique rather than through consultation with the wider parliamentary group.

Singh cites several examples: a party leader allegedly nominated himself to a delegation to an African country; two members were selected for a tour of the Andaman Islands without consulting the party; and a Southeast Asian tour team was chosen surreptitiously. He also questions the procedure used to approve a member for a Select Committee, saying it failed to inspire confidence in the process. The letter closes by asking Ranga to circulate it to party members so that the matter can be openly discussed at a general party meeting.

Key points

• Kapur Singh reports simmering discontent within the Swatantra Party parliamentary group.
• He criticises the handling of nominations to parliamentary committees and foreign-tour teams.
• The letter alleges arbitrary decision-making, clique behaviour, and inadequate consultation.
• Examples include self-nomination to an African delegation and unilateral selections for tours to the Andaman Islands and Southeast Asia.
• Singh argues that committee nominations were sometimes decided by a few individuals before being retrospectively endorsed by party committees.
• He asks Prof. N.G. Ranga to circulate the letter and facilitate an open discussion at a general party meeting.