[Letter to Ghasiram Majhi]

Summary

In this letter dated May 17, 1974, M. R. Masani writes to Ghasiram Majhi, General Secretary of the Swatantra Party’s Orissa Unit, acknowledging Majhi’s anxieties about the party’s condition. Masani argues that explanations for the party’s debacle wrongly blame others and insists that the party must accept responsibility for having joined forces with discredited politicians.

Key points

• Masani acknowledges the difficult political circumstances and Majhi’s anxiety.
• He rejects explanations that attribute the party’s debacle primarily to others.
• He argues that the Swatantra Party bears responsibility for its alliances with discredited politicians.
• He recalls having forecast the party’s difficulties in a speech at the party’s convention in Madras a year earlier.
• He sees no prospect for the party in Orissa unless it separates from its present allies and resumes functioning as the Swatantra Party.
• He refers to a General Council meeting scheduled in Delhi in June to discuss these matters.
• He predicts that retaining the suggested national-level allies would produce results as poor as those already seen in Orissa.