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dated June 16, 1959: Swatantra Party

The newly-formed Swatantra Party of India will invite into its fold and obtain the co-operation of the various political groups all over the country, all who agree with its manifesto as well as those Congressmen who disagree with their party and have the courage to come out of it. Explaining the aims and objectives of the party in New Delhi on June 15, Mr. N.G. Ranga, who will preside over the preliminary meeting of the party to be inaugurated by Mr. C. Rajagopalachari in Ahmedabad in August, said that the immediate task of the party would be to organise all politically-minded people to help them come into public life. As the party had no representative at present in Parliament and State Legislatures, it would now make a vigorous effort to influence the party in power with its own ideas. The significance of the name, “Swatantra”, Mr. Ranga said, was that the new party would stand for the freedom of the peasants and the artisans, people in small industries and trade “who were self-employed people”, whose independent, economic and social status was being threatened by the policies of the Congress Government like co-operative farming and nationalisation. He clarified that the party was against State trading as a monopoly, but would welcome healthy competition between private enterprise and State trading.

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