[Swatantra Party Parliamentary Office Letter]

Summary

This two-page English office circular, issued by the Swatantra Party Parliamentary Office in New Delhi on 7 April 1969, instructs party members to attend the Lok Sabha on Monday, 28 April, from 11:30 to 16:30 to vote for the party’s candidates for three financial committees. Signed by Y. G. Gowd as Chief Whip, it stresses that full attendance is essential to secure the election of all Swatantra candidates.

The second page records a 3 April 1969 meeting of a sub-committee appointed by the leaders of the Opposition parties to consider the formation of consultative committees. It proposes 25 committees, each with 30 members—20 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha—for a total of 750 seats. The circular sets out a party-wise allocation formula based on parliamentary strength, including two members for the Swatantra Party on every committee, two for the Jan Sangh, and specified representation for the Communist Party of India and other groups. It also states that the Congress Party should retain a majority of at least two on every committee and requests party groups to submit nominees before 12 May 1969.

Key points

• The circular directs Swatantra Party members to attend a Lok Sabha vote on 28 April 1969.
• The vote concerns the election of party candidates to three financial committees.
• A seven-member Opposition sub-committee met on 3 April 1969 to discuss consultative committee formation.
• The proposed structure contains 25 committees with 30 members each, drawn from both Houses of Parliament.
• Committee seats are to be distributed according to each party’s parliamentary strength.
• The proposed formula gives the Swatantra Party two members on every committee and the Congress Party a majority of at least two.
• Party groups are asked to submit committee nominees by 12 May so the committees can be constituted before the session ends.