[Letter from Piloo Mody]

Summary

In this four-page letter dated June 16, 1974, Piloo Mody explains the Swatantra Party’s proposal to build a two-party system and a broad national alternative to Congress rule. He argues that democratic institutions—including Parliament, the cabinet system, the judiciary, the press, fundamental rights, and opposition parties—have been weakened, creating a danger of dictatorship. In his view, the immediate political task is to unite all non-Congress, non-Marxist, and non-Communist parties, even though the process will require persuasion and compromise.

Mody presents the proposed two-party system as a programme-based rather than ideologically fixed arrangement. He distinguishes it from a merger of existing parties: the plan would dissolve the old parties and create a new party based on consensus, while retaining Swatantra principles through the participation of its members. The letter describes a prospective organisation involving multiple national, regional, communal, and independent groups, with decentralisation, regional variation, and individual opinion protected through the party constitution. Mody closes by urging members to examine the enclosed draft programme, resist newspaper reports he considers misleading, and await ratification by a National Convention.

Key points

• Mody frames the proposed two-party system as a response to the erosion of democratic institutions and the danger of impending dictatorship.
• He calls for a national alternative uniting non-Congress, non-Marxist, and non-Communist parties.
• He argues that a two-party system would provide a credible alternative to Congress and avoid the ideological conflicts that had impeded earlier opposition efforts.
• The proposal is described as a new party formed by dissolving existing parties, rather than a conventional merger carrying old rivalries into a new organisation.
• Mody presents the prospective parties as programme-based, allowing regional deviation and a broad range of individual opinion.
• The proposed organisation would emphasise decentralisation and give state parties some regional autonomy.
• He reports that the initiative had begun with seven parties and was then approaching nine, with further expansion envisaged.
• The letter asks Swatantra members to study the draft programme and constitution and to leave the final decision to a National Convention.