Minutes of the Meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board held in Madras on March 1, 1967, at 3 p.m.

Summary

These minutes record meetings of the Swatantra Party’s Central Parliamentary Board in Madras on March 1 and 2, 1967, following the General Elections. The Board confirmed earlier minutes, welcomed the prospect of an early session of the newly elected Lok Sabha, scheduled a National Executive meeting, and reviewed the Party’s electoral performance across the states. It expressed satisfaction with especially strong results in Madras and Mysore, while noting disappointment in several other states and rejecting B. P. Singh’s offer to resign as president of the Uttar Pradesh unit.

The record focuses on the Party’s parliamentary strategy and its position in state politics. The Board considered recruiting independent and unaffiliated MPs, exploring coordination among non-Communist opposition parties, opposing weak Congress-led coalition governments in Rajasthan, and maintaining independent legislative groups in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal. The adjourned March 2 meeting addressed constitutional and parliamentary offices, favouring consensus rather than simple numerical majority for the choice of President, Vice-President, and legislative presiding officers. It also discussed forthcoming contests in Goa, Daman and Diu, Rajya Sabha vacancies, and the organization of the Swatantra parliamentary group.

Key points

• The Central Parliamentary Board met in Madras on March 1 and 2, 1967, after the General Elections.
• The Board welcomed an early session of the newly elected Lok Sabha and called meetings to elect parliamentary leaders and office-bearers.
• Election results were praised in Madras and Mysore, while the Board recorded dissatisfaction with performance in several other states.
• The Party considered inviting independent and unaffiliated MPs to join its Lok Sabha group.
• The Board supported exploring coordination among non-Communist opposition parties, including the DMK and Jana Sangh.
• The Board opposed Congress coalition governments based on slender majorities in Rajasthan and advised independent action by Swatantra legislators in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal.
• For the Union presidency and vice-presidency, the Board preferred a broadly consensual, non-party candidate and specifically mentioned Jayaprakash Narayan.
• The March 2 meeting addressed Goa, Daman and Diu, Rajya Sabha vacancies, and the election of leaders and secretaries for the parliamentary group.