[Letter to C Rajagopalachari]

Summary

In this letter dated 8 June 1968, Bhanu Pratap Singh reports to C. Rajagopalachari on discussions in Delhi about a possible merger of the Bharatiya Kranti Dal (BKD), the Swatantra Party, and the Praja Socialist Party (PSP). Singh describes his opposition to any arrangement while the West Bengal unit of the BKD remained associated with the Communists, but notes that the BKD’s national executive subsequently dissolved that state executive and that Ajay Mukerjee resigned from the BKD. He also relays plans for Charan Singh to meet Rajagopalachari and other leaders in Madras, Bangalore, and Hyderabad to explore a broader merger among non-Congress parties.

Key points

• The letter discusses a proposed merger involving the BKD, Swatantra Party, and PSP.
• Singh initially rejects a merger while the West Bengal BKD remains associated with the Communists.
• He reports that the BKD national executive dissolved the West Bengal state executive and that Ajay Mukerjee resigned from the BKD.
• Charan Singh is presented as the leading BKD figure behind efforts to create a broad non-Congress opposition.
• Singh argues that a strong opposition party is necessary for Indian democracy to survive.
• He believes Charan Singh could bring agrarian and non-Marxist parties together and isolate the Congress and Communists.
• The proposed new party would require a new name, while its programme would likely be closer to the PSP than to the Swatantra Party.