The freebie race

Christmas is long over, but Santa Clauses are still around in poll-bound Delhi. Lohri is over as well, but revdis continue to be showered on voters. It’s a no-holds-barred race to woo the electorate with freebies and handouts. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well as the two main Opposition parties, the BJP and the Congress, are pulling out all the stops in this high-stakes battle. Their special focus is on women, who have emerged as a make-or-break vote bank in recent years. AAP has promised to raise the financial assistance under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana from Rs 1,000 per month to Rs 2,100, while the BJP has come up with the Mahila Samridhi Yojana, under which Rs 2,500 each will be provided. Not to be left behind, the Congress has announced the Pyari Didi Yojana, which promises monthly aid of Rs 2,500 to all eligible women.

The BJP is bent on beating AAP at its own game, conveniently forgetting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had disparaged rival parties for promoting revdi culture not so long ago. The saffron party’s below-par performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has made it realise that voters can’t be taken for granted. It was the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, ostensibly aimed at giving ‘economic freedom’ to underprivileged women, that had largely propelled the BJP-led Mahayuti to an emphatic win in last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections. The state government is now struggling to sustain the scheme, which goes to show how such handouts bleed the exchequer.

Former RBI Governor D Subbarao has rightly observed that competitive populism is fiscally perilous and inimical to the country’s long-term growth. However, both Central and state governments, along with various political parties, seem least bothered about the implications of their recklessness. These are brazen attempts to bribe and influence voters, yet the Election Commission of India is looking the other way. The freebie culture is not only vitiating the electoral process but also making a mockery of Indian democracy.