[Letter from Madhu Mehta]

Summary

This two-page letter, dated April 18, 1972, is addressed by Madhu Mehta, General Secretary of the Swatantra Party at its National Headquarters, to the Director-General of Posts & Telegraphs. It explains that the Party is a national organisation whose State, District, City and Assembly-constituency units are autonomous administratively, financially and in their day-to-day functioning, except on matters relating to Party policy. The letter recounts disputes over unpaid telephone bills involving Party units in Hyderabad, Surendranagar and Bangalore, including a suit filed against the National Headquarters and the Surendranagar District Unit.

Key points

• The Swatantra Party describes its State, District, City and Assembly-constituency units as autonomous in administration, finance and daily functioning.
• The National Headquarters says it should not be held responsible for telephone bills incurred by autonomous Party units.
• The letter recounts arrears and threatened disconnections involving Party units in Hyderabad, Surendranagar and Bangalore.
• The National Headquarters paid the Hyderabad arrears but states that it was not responsible for the other disputed connections.
• A Surendranagar telephone authority sued the National Headquarters and the local Party unit for arrears connected with a temporary telephone used during the 1962 elections.
• The National Headquarters accepts responsibility only for two specified telephone connections at its Bombay headquarters.
• Other telephone dues are to be recovered directly from the relevant Party units, while headquarters assumes liability only where it made the application or guaranteed payment.