[Letter to N Dandeker]

Summary

In this three-page letter dated July 15, 1968, N. K. Somani urges Swatantra Party general secretary N. Dandekar to confront the party’s recent electoral setbacks and damaged public image. He criticizes the party’s failure to explain its association with Communists in supporting the DMK candidate in the Tan kasi contest, its negative or unclear positions on national issues, and its inadequate response to defeats in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and elsewhere. Somani argues that party leadership must provide direction, morale, and a clearer public account of its policies rather than allowing internal disagreements to appear as public disorder.

The letter also calls for a more intelligible statement of the party’s economic position. Somani notes that the public misunderstands the party’s commitment to “laissez faire,” and says that leaders must distinguish this position from “no planning.” He recommends preparing a document on the next Five-Year Plan, reconsidering the party’s boycott of Planning Commission exercises, consolidating party and pro-party publications, improving press and public-relations work, and engaging India’s university students and young people. He closes by expressing confidence that renewed organizational efforts can recover lost ground.

Key points

• Somani attributes the Swatantra Party’s weakened public image to electoral defeats, internal disagreements, and the public airing of party disputes.
• He calls for stronger leadership responses to setbacks in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the recent by-election in Tenkasi.
• He says the party must explain its support for the DMK candidate in Tenkasi despite the party’s covert association with Communists.
• He argues that Swatantra’s economic policies are poorly understood, especially its distinction between laissez-faire and opposition to all planning.
• He recommends that party leaders issue a document on the next plan and reconsider the public presentation of their opposition to the Planning Commission.
• He proposes consolidating party and pro-party periodicals, improving centralized news distribution, and managing public relations more professionally.
• He urges senior leaders to meet university students and other youth groups across India.