[Letter to C Rajagopalachari]

Summary

In this letter dated January 25, 1963, M. R. Masani asks C. Rajagopalachari to verify factual claims in a passage concerning negotiations among the State President, the founder-leader of the party, and the Swatantra Party. The passage describes disagreements involving Sri Jaleshwar Prasad, Sri Manki Nandan Singh, and Masani over the Giridih parliamentary seat in Hazaribagh District, and recounts an effort to persuade Masani to contest the seat after the State President’s intervention.

Masani notes that K. M. Munshi is helping draft his reply to the Maksoodpur Appeal and requests Rajagopalachari’s corrections by January 30, so that the papers can be circulated to General Council members by February 1. The letter documents internal party coordination, the sensitivity of candidate selection, and the effort to establish an accurate public account before an impending general election.

Key points

• Masani is preparing a reply to the Maksoodpur Appeal, with drafting assistance from K. M. Munshi.
• He asks Rajagopalachari to check the accuracy of a detailed account of party discussions and candidate selection.
• The disputed account concerns a parliamentary seat at Giridih in Hazaribagh District.
• The account attributes a party rift to disagreements involving Jaleshwar Prasad, Manki Nandan Singh, and M. R. Masani.
• Masani says the Giridih seat was kept vacant for him until the last moment after he declined to contest it.
• The requested verification was time-sensitive because the papers were to be circulated to General Council members.