Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board held at Kalki Buildings, Madras, on May 31, 1968.

Summary

These draft minutes record the Swatantra Party Central Parliamentary Board meeting held at Kalki Buildings, Madras, on 31 May 1968. The Board confirmed the previous meeting’s minutes, discussed Prof. Ranga’s absence and Minoo Masani’s refusal to resign, and reviewed the Party’s poor performance in Haryana’s mid-term elections. The minutes attribute that result to weak organisation, inadequate money, personnel, and vehicles, excessive reliance on local and caste appeals, Congress’s statewide campaign, and attacks by other parties. They also note that only two of the Party’s 31 candidates won, although eleven finished second and ten third, with an increased share of the vote.

Key points

• The Board approved consultation between the Party’s organisational and legislative wings, pending replies from state units and legislative leaders.
• It recorded Minoo Masani’s refusal to withdraw his resignation despite the National Executive’s request.
• The Haryana election review emphasised organisational weakness, inadequate campaign resources, caste and communal appeals, and Congress’s electoral advantage.
• The Board permitted Swatantra legislators to cooperate with Haryana’s United Opposition while retaining the Party’s identity and independence of action.
• It attributed defeats in the Bijapur and Deusa by-elections to candidate selection, resource shortages, low polling during harvest season, and weak local organisation.
• The Board urged early decisions on future by-elections and mobilisation of Party legislators, workers, and vehicles.
• It approved in principle a constitutional amendment concerning presidential and gubernatorial discretion in nominations, while requiring further examination of its constitutional permissibility.
• The minutes set out a selective electoral strategy for Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, support for the Paswan Ministry in Bihar, and a cautious position on planning and government-sponsored policy discussions.