The Swatantra Party

Founded in August 1959, the Swatantra Party was a non- socialist, constitutionalist and secular conservative party having distinguished leaders like C. Rajagopalachari (who resigned from the Congress), Minoo Masani, N.G. Ranga and

K.M. Munshi, most of them being veteran Congress leaders. The social base of the party was narrow and consisted of:

(i) a section of industrialists and business class, discontented with government control, quotas and licences and fearful of nationalisation; (ii) landlords, jagirdars and princes, annoyed due to loss of fiefdoms, social power and status, and deteriorating economic conditions; (iii) ex-landlord-turned- capitalist farmers and rich and middle peasants, who had welcomed the abolition of landlordism but were fearful of losing part of their land; and (iv) a few retired civil servants. The Swatantra Party favoured the notion of the ‘night watchman’ or laissez-faire State, and stood for free, private enterprise. It opposed the active role of the State in economic development and nationalisation of private enterprises and

extension of land reforms.

In international relations, the party denounced non- alignment as well as Indo-Soviet collaboration and wanted a close relation with the US and countries of Western Europe. In fact, it advocated for a defence coalition with non- communist countries of Asia including Pakistan, under the capitalist super power, United States.

In the 1962 elections, it won 18 seats in the Lok Sabha and emerged as the main opposition party in four states (Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa).

Factions, defections, and death of C. Rajagopalachari in 1967, proved detrimental to the Swatantra Party. Most of the party leaders joined the Bharatiya Lok Dal in 1974, while a small group led by Masani tried to survive the party.