Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on November 12, 2022
Express View: The freebie game in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh
Welfare and subsidy hold different meanings for different classes of people, and only one thing is clear — it is futile for institutions like the EC or the judiciary to wade into a debate that is best left to parties and voters.
With voters becoming more demanding, and economic opportunities increasingly limited, political parties are arguably forced to promise an expansion of the welfare net.
In July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke against political parties promoting a culture of freebies — he called them “revdi” — to win votes. His remarks triggered a public debate with parties of the Opposition, especially the AAP and DMK, accusing the PM of targeting welfare schemes and state subsidies promised by non-BJP parties. The Election Commission joined the debate and said political parties should lay out the cost of the freebies they promise and how they plan to finance them if voted to power. The Supreme Court was petitioned, which, in August, referred the matter to a three-judge bench: The plea challenged a Madras High Court judgment in S Subramaniam Balaji (2013) that held that the promise of freebies cannot be termed as a corrupt practice. None of this, however, seems to have influenced the election conversation in Himachal Pradesh — which votes Saturday — or the campaign for Gujarat, where polls are scheduled for early December. The main contenders for power in both states have made effusive promises of what some would call welfare, and others freebies.
The AAP got off to an early start in Gujarat, announcing 300 units of free electricity for every household, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for women, unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000, debt waiver upto Rs 2 lakh for farmers. In response, the BJP and Congress have offered teasers of their own lists — their manifestos are not ready yet. Congress has promised free medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh, free electricity for farmers, a Rs 5 subsidy on every litre for milk producers, while the BJP offered two free LPG cylinders annually to households and subsidised edible oil beginning Janmashtami. In Himachal, the BJP promised three free LPG cylinders for poor women, bicycles and scooters for girl students, financial aid of Rs 25,000 to all pregnant women and so on, while the Congress list included free electricity up to 300 units monthly to all households, and financial assistance of Rs 1,500 monthly to women between 18 to 60 years of age.
With voters becoming more demanding, and economic opportunities increasingly limited, political parties are arguably forced to promise an expansion of the welfare net. The BJP has tried to draw a distinction between “allurement” and “empowerment”. But such distinctions are subjective. Welfare and subsidies hold different meanings for different classes of people, and only one thing is clear — it is futile for institutions like the EC or the judiciary to wade into a debate that is best left to parties and voters.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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