DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CENTRAL PARLIAMENTARY BOARD HELD IN NEW DELHI ON MAY 20, 1967.

Summary

These draft minutes record the Swatantra Party Central Parliamentary Board meeting held in New Delhi on 20 May 1967. The Board reviewed the party’s strength in Parliament, noting 45 Lok Sabha members and 13 Rajya Sabha members, recent resignations and accessions, and the outcomes of presidential, vice-presidential, and parliamentary by-elections. It also discussed unsuccessful efforts to create a united opposition bloc with the Swatantra Party, Jan Sangh, and D.M.K., as well as attempts to bring independent and Akali legislators into opposition cooperation.

Key points

• The Board recorded a Swatantra Party strength of 45 members in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha.
• It reviewed the defeat of Subba Rao and Prof. Habib in the presidential and vice-presidential elections.
• By-election results included Prof. Ranga’s victory, H. M. Patel’s victory, and B. K. Deo’s unopposed Rajya Sabha election.
• The Board considered the party’s relationships with non-Congress governments and opposition groups in Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Andhra, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• It approved conditional support for the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal government in Uttar Pradesh while treating Akhtar Ali Khan’s cabinet participation as a special case rather than a precedent.
• The Board rejected unstable ‘patchwork Governments’ and opposed participation in any government that included Communists, while favouring cooperation among democratic opposition parties.
• Minoo Masani’s proposed resignation as parliamentary leader and the election of Prof. Ranga as his successor were approved.
• The Board welcomed proposals for a Lok Pal and Lok Ayukt on the lines of an ombudsman.