Swatantra Party

Swatantra Party (swatantra meaning 'free' or 'independent' in Sanskrit) was a political party in India founded by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1959. The party opposed the Nehruvian socialist of the Congress Party outlook by advocating free enterprise, opposing the so-called licence-permit Raj, and ending India's economic autarky by courting Western investment. In 1960 Rajaji and other Swatantra leaders wrote about why Swatantra Party had to be formed despite having worked closely with Nehru to obtain independence for India:

1. C. Rajagopalachari : Save freedom. Why Swatantra, 1960

2. Minoo Masani: To provide A Democratic Alternative. Why Swatantra, 1960

3. K.M. Munshi: To Restore Fundamental Rights. Why Swatantra, 1960

4. N.G. Ranga: To Preserve Family Economy. Why Swatantra, 1960

The 21 principles of the Swatantra Party manifesto were on broadly classical liberal lines.

Swatantra party became a significant force in some regions of India and became the single largest opposition party in the mid-1960s in Parliament with 44 seats in the Fourth Lok Sabha (1967-71). After Rajaji's death in 1972, it declined rapidly. It was also associated in the public mind with wealthy industrialists and former maharajas. The Swatantra experiment of liberalism ended in 1974 by merging with B.K.D. led by Charan Singh an omnibus of left-wing, right-wing, and Hindu nationalist opponents of Congress Party rule.

References

• H.R.Pasricha. The Swatantra Party—Victory in Defeat. The Rajaji Foundation. 2002.
• Howard L. Erdman. India’s Swatantra Party. Public Affairs Vol 36, Issue 4, Winter 1963-1964, pp. 394-410.

External links

• A number of links at sabhlokcity.com
• Rediff On The NeT: Rajmohan Gandhi on C Rajagopalachari and the birth of the Swatantra Party
• Revive the Swatantra Party
• Minoo Masani And The Swatantra Party