‘Swatantra will end State capitalism, exploitation’

Summary

This Hindustan Times report describes Minoo Masani’s campaign claims for the Swatantra Party and its allies in the February 1971 election. Masani presents the Congress government’s programme as incompatible with constitutional guarantees and argues that Swatantra is committed to ending state capitalism and exploitation through private property, individual ownership, and economic freedom. He criticises the government’s alleged failures, including inflation, shortages, unemployment, and what he calls the proliferation of candidates and electoral contests.

Key points

• Minoo Masani says the Swatantra Party is revolutionary in its opposition to state capitalism and exploitation.
• He invokes the Constitution and private property as safeguards against excessive government power.
• The report records Masani’s criticism of Congress’s economic record, including inflation, shortages, unemployment, and alleged administrative drift.
• Masani says the Swatantra Party has not abandoned its electoral campaign despite disagreements among opposition parties.
• He defends the party’s support for General Cariappa in the North-East Bombay constituency and attacks the Jan Sangh’s electoral conduct.
• The report also covers opposition reactions to the Pakistan hijacking incident, Soviet influence, and the use of government machinery during elections.