General Secretary's Letter No. 320

Summary

This six-page Swatantra Party office letter, dated August 20, 1974, reports on the Party’s Seventh National Convention in New Delhi on August 4–5 and encloses the resolutions debated there. The letter explains that the Party’s General Council had supported efforts to create a National Alternative bringing together parties outside the ruling Congress and Communist parties, but had reserved final authority over dissolution for a National Convention. It also records procedural disagreements over press access and secret-ballot voting.

Key points

• The National Convention considered whether the Swatantra Party should dissolve in order to participate in a broader National Alternative.
• A proposal to create a Swatantra Seva Sangh was withdrawn by M. R. Masani for lack of popular support.
• The Convention rejected a resolution opposing dissolution by 53 votes to 40, with one neutral delegate.
• The dissolution resolution passed by 407 votes to 53, with one neutral delegate; the letter reports 484 delegates in attendance.
• The enclosed resolution supports forming a new party, identified as the Bharatiya Lok Dal, from parties other than the ruling Congress and Communist parties.
• The resolution authorized President Piloo Mody to announce and implement the Party’s dissolution and to ask the Chief Election Commissioner to freeze the Swatantra Party’s electoral symbol.
• Members who did not wish to join the new party were described as free to continue non-partisan activities under another name.