Libertarian Manifesto

The Libertarian Manifesto of the New Swatantra Party sets out a framework for governance grounded in individual liberty, equality before law, property rights, voluntary exchange, and strict limits on state power. It argues that India’s persistent failures arise primarily from institutional design—discretionary governance, opaque rules, and weak accountability—rather than cultural or moral deficits.

The manifesto functions as the party’s foundational doctrine. All policy papers, technical whitepapers, electoral programmes, and transition frameworks are derived from and constrained by the principles set out here.

It emphasises rule-based governance (law over discretion), accountability through liability (remedy over permission), and decentralised decision-making (choice over compulsion).

Overview

The manifesto rests on a simple institutional claim:

A free society requires predictable rules, limited government, and enforceable accountability.

Rather than expanding state control or pursuing identity-based redistribution, the New Swatantra Party advocates reforms that bind the state to clearly defined functions—law, justice, security, and protection of property—while leaving economic and social life to individuals, markets, families, and voluntary associations.

The document is not an electoral programme. It does not specify budgets, timelines, or schemes. Its purpose is to define limits, principles, and direction against which all future policy proposals must be judged.

Core Principles

Individual Liberty

Individuals are sovereign over their own lives, bodies, labour, and property. Political authority exists only to protect this autonomy—not to supervise, moralise, or direct personal choices.

Freedom is defined not as the absence of rules, but as the presence of general, predictable, and equally applied law. Peaceful actions may not be restricted merely because they are unpopular, unconventional, or disapproved of by those in power.

Equality Before Law

All citizens are equal before the law. The state must not classify individuals by caste, religion, language, occupation, or identity for the purpose of granting privileges or imposing burdens.

Where historical injustices require remedy, such measures must be limited, transitional, and aimed at restoring equal treatment—not entrenching permanent legal distinctions.

Limited Role of the State

The legitimate functions of the state are restricted to:

• Protection of life, liberty, and property
• Enforcement of contracts and liability
• Administration of impartial justice
• Maintenance of internal and external security

The state must not prescribe morality, manage culture, operate commercial enterprises, or direct economic outcomes. Expansion beyond these functions results in arbitrariness rather than care.

Property Rights and Markets

Secure property rights are treated as the foundation of freedom, economic independence, and dignity. Markets are viewed not as ideology but as systems of voluntary cooperation that decentralise decision-making and discipline power through competition.

Where harm occurs, it must be addressed through law and liability rather than regulation, bans, or discretionary control.

Welfare as Transitional Support

The manifesto rejects both abandonment and paternalism. It recognises that decades of regulation and state control have created dependency that cannot be undone instantly.

Accordingly, welfare is framed as transitional restitution rather than permanent entitlement. Support must be rule-based, identity-blind, time-limited, and explicitly oriented toward exit as institutional barriers are dismantled and opportunity expands.

Decentralisation and Federalism

Power should be exercised at the lowest level consistent with accountability. Local governments must function as genuine decision-making bodies rather than administrative extensions of higher authorities.

The manifesto supports competitive federalism, state autonomy, and strong local governance as safeguards against centralised error.

Economic Framework

The libertarian manifesto proposes a restructuring of India’s economic governance based on low, broad-based taxation, deregulation, free trade, and fiscal discipline.

Key elements include:

• Abolition of direct taxes on income, capital, and savings
• A flat, uniform consumption tax with constitutional rate caps
• Elimination of customs duties and transaction taxes
• Exit of the state from commercial enterprise
• Market-based pricing of energy, transport, and utilities

For detailed design and implementation, see:

• Tax Reform
• GST 2.0 Policy Paper
• Fiscal Responsibility
• Trade Policy
• Privatisation
• Industrial Policy

Justice, Security, and Accountability

The manifesto treats the rule of law as the state’s most critical obligation. It proposes:

• Time-bound judicial processes
• Expansion of court capacity
• Independent prosecution
• Local control and accountability in policing
• Strict limits on sovereign immunity

National security policy is grounded in armed neutrality, defensive strength, and deterrence rather than interventionism.

Related documents:

• Judicial Reform
• Police Reform
• National Security and Defence

Civil and Personal Liberties

The manifesto supports robust protections for free speech, privacy, freedom of belief, and personal choice. It opposes censorship, moral policing, and regulatory control over culture, expression, and peaceful consumption.

Related documents:

• Civil Liberties
• Alcohol and Intoxicants
• Cultural Sovereignty

Structure of the Manifesto

The manifesto is organised as a layered framework:

• Foundational Doctrine – defining principles and limits
• Policy Papers – outlining institutional reforms by domain
• Technical Whitepapers – detailing implementation where complexity requires
• Transition Frameworks – sequencing reforms to avoid disruption

This structure is intended to prevent ad-hoc policymaking and ensure internal consistency across governance domains.

What the Manifesto Rejects

The New Swatantra Party explicitly rejects:

• Authoritarian nationalism
• State-enforced cultural or religious norms
• Crony capitalism and discretionary subsidies
• Populist redistribution
• Identity-based politics
• Moral policing
• Retrospective and arbitrary governance

Arbitrary power, even when exercised in the name of the people, is not considered legitimate.

Purpose

The Libertarian Manifesto does not promise perfect governance. It promises limits—on power, discretion, and arbitrariness.

Its objective is a constitutional republic where citizens know their rights are protected rather than negotiated, economic success depends on effort rather than connections, and government serves under law rather than ruling by discretion.

For sequencing and safeguards, see The New Swatantra Roadmap.