BJP had a different point of view ahead of the Uttar Pradesh election where the party along with other parties, especially Samajwadi Party was indulging in promising freebies to people–in UP the BJP promised free gas cylinders, ghee as well as ration to people. At that time, the BJP did not talk about the matter even as a plea reached the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the matter of curbing the menace of freebies. The twist came when AAP started campaigning in Gujarat and began to follow the trend of announcing freebies. This time, it was the Prime Minister who spoke and said that the freebies burden the taxpayers and impede India’s efforts to become Atmanirbhar. What a colossal contradiction that is!!!
With Arvind Kejriwal known for sharp and straight political criticism, he, this time, went an extra mile and sought a referendum on whether the public funds should be used for providing better civic facilities or to help selected friends and families—in the last party, Kejriwal took a jibe at the BJP and Congress which have been criticizing AAP on going on a ‘free-spree’. The fact, however, is that ‘freebies or no freebies’, the political parties have been taking the people of this country on a ride—the best season of which always remains the season of election. Be it Party in Power, Congress, or any other regional parties, or AAP for that matter, what has remained the center point of their politics, is the exploitation of the common man.
People at the same time, cannot be blamed for going with the flow of freebies, because that is what they get in the end; and why would they even worry about taxpayers—they are hardly able to feed their families. The politicians come and disappear, only to be seen next election, after several years, and amid such a scenario, the people would prefer to get hold of whatever is being promised and given to them, while forgetting the rest. This ‘forgetting the rest’ then leads to weakening the roots of democracy and can also cause system paralysis for which the politicians, who have started the freebies trend, are greatly responsible, especially those who talk with a tinge of bias—or a total bias.
