Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board Held at Kalki Buildings, Madras on July 23, 1967

Summary

These three pages are the draft minutes of the Swatantra Party’s Central Parliamentary Board meeting held at Kalki Buildings, Madras, on July 23, 1967. After confirming the previous meeting’s minutes, the Board recorded the Party’s positions on issues before Parliament: opposition to Government efforts to undo the Supreme Court’s decision on Fundamental Rights; condemnation of the proposed abolition of former rulers’ Privy Purses; criticism of plans to reduce the Planning Commission to an expert advisory body; support for a more objective and impartial policy toward the Arab–Israeli conflict; and defence of parental and student choice between regional languages and English as the medium of university instruction.

The minutes then turn to state-level political affairs. They approve the formation of the Democratic Front in Andhra as the Official Opposition, provided it excludes Communists and includes the Jana Congress without its joining the Bharatiya Jana Kranti Dal. In West Bengal, the Board attributes recent unrest to Communist political and violent activity and calls for the Communists’ removal from government and their parties to be banned. It also addresses the Swatantra Party’s support for the S.V.D. ministry in Uttar Pradesh, advises the Governor of Madhya Pradesh to consult the Opposition before dissolving the Assembly, and records a report on Rajasthan before the meeting terminates.

Key points

• The Board endorsed opposition to attempts to undermine the Supreme Court’s ruling on Fundamental Rights.
• It condemned the proposed unilateral abolition of Privy Purses and related constitutional guarantees.
• It criticised the proposed change in the composition and functions of the Planning Commission.
• It supported regional-language or English-medium choice in university education and parental choice of schools.
• It approved the Democratic Front as the Official Opposition in Andhra under specified anti-Communist conditions.
• It called for the removal of Communists from the West Bengal Government and for Communist parties to be banned.
• It set out conditional support for the S.V.D. ministry in Uttar Pradesh and guidance on political developments in Madhya Pradesh.