Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board

Summary

These draft minutes record the Swatantra Party Central Parliamentary Board meeting held at Kalki Buildings, Madras, on September 29, 1967. The Board reviewed the party’s performance in Parliament and considered its position on a proposed constitutional amendment, social control of banking, nationalisation of general insurance, and the Monopolies Bill. It supported limiting the constitutional amendment to Fundamental Rights and opposed measures that would unduly interfere with the autonomous working of commercial banks or expand nationalisation.

The minutes then review the party’s relations with governments and legislatures in Orissa, Mysore, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Bengal. They record praise for aspects of the Orissa government’s work, concern about defections and factional arrangements in several states, and instructions to withdraw from the United Front in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan while strengthening the party’s role as an opposition. The document concludes with an attached two-page Code of Conduct for Ministers from Swatantra Party, Orissa, addressing disclosure of assets, conflicts of interest, gifts, business activities, political contributions, debts, and confidential investigation procedures.

Key points

• The Central Parliamentary Board met in Madras on September 29, 1967, with Prof. N. G. Ranga in the chair and Minoo Masani and N. Dandekar among those present.
• The Board attributed a setback in opposition unity to basic ideological differences and criticised noisy, unparliamentary, and obstructive conduct in Parliament.
• It approved constitutional amendments confined to Fundamental Rights and requiring clarification that a referendum should not coincide with general elections.
• The Board opposed further nationalisation and undue interference with commercial banks, while reiterating opposition to monopolistic practices in both the state and free sectors.
• The minutes assess party organisation and legislative performance across multiple states, including Orissa, Mysore, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Bengal.
• The Board recommended a Free City or international trusteeship for Jerusalem and international efforts to alleviate and rehabilitate Palestinian refugees.
• The attached ministerial code requires financial disclosure, divestment from relevant businesses, restrictions on gifts and government dealings, and confidential procedures for investigating breaches.