[Swatantra Party Minutes of Meeting]

Summary

These minutes record a meeting of the Swatantra Party Parliamentary Office Executive Committee held on 5 December 1967 in Parliament House, New Delhi. The committee reviewed members’ speaking assignments on the Official Language Bill and resolution, supplementary demands for grants, the Industrial Disputes Bill, a motion on law and order in Delhi, and international affairs. The minutes note disagreement among members over the Official Languages Bill and resolve to write to Rajaji (C. Rajagopalachari) for advice. D. N. Patodia was also asked to serve as whip during the week because the party’s three whips would be away from Delhi.

The accompanying secretary’s note sets out a strategy for making a more effective parliamentary impact. It calls for at least five members each day to be prepared to ask supplementary questions, suggests preparing briefing material on ministries where the party lacks supplementary interventions, and urges members to use motions, bills, half-hour discussions, amendments, and substitute motions to project party principles. The document emphasizes advance coordination with the Executive Secretary while acknowledging the need to balance opportunities for individual members with selecting the strongest speaker on a particular subject.

Key points

• The Executive Committee meeting took place on 5 December 1967 at the Swatantra Party Parliamentary Office in Parliament House, New Delhi.
• Members were assigned speaking responsibilities on official languages, grants, industrial disputes, law and order in Delhi, and international affairs.
• The committee recorded disagreement over the Official Languages Bill and decided to seek Rajaji’s advice.
• D. N. Patodia was requested to act as a whip while the party’s other whips were absent from Delhi.
• The secretary called for systematic preparation of supplementary questions and ministerial briefs.
• Members were encouraged to give timely notice of motions, bills, and half-hour discussions in order to advance the party’s principles.
• The note discusses the parliamentary trade-off between giving every member an opportunity to speak and selecting the member best placed to argue a particular issue.