As the party in power at the Centre, with most of its third term to be completed, the BJP along with its NDA allies cannot afford giveaways for electoral purposes, as it will have to immediately deliver. On the other hand, it is easy for those aspiring to power to promise the sky, as delivery would be beyond the present horizon. And if people can be fooled once into voting a party into power, they can be hoodwinked again by just shifting funds from development schemes needed for future growth and economic well-being.
One example is the reported transfer of over 25 percent funds meant for the Scheduled Castes to pay for the freebies promised by the Congress Government in Karnataka. This has been brought to light by none other than the Congress MLA in-charge of the SC schemes. The state is becoming a prime example – but not the only one – of how unsustainable are freebies announced for the sole purpose of bribing voters during elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi has come up with its usual attempt to con people into believing that its proposed ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ has legitimacy by launching a ‘registration’ drive. The idea is to psychologically make people feel associated with the party while signing up for a future government scheme. It has been made clear by officials that this drive has no legitimacy, and the establishment has nothing to do with it. In fact, it is dangerous that people with no legal authority should be conducting such a pseudo campaign, which requires ‘beneficiaries’ to provide their personal data. It opens the doors to any other group to conduct a similar drive for criminal purposes, much like the ‘digital arrests’ being done these days. A similar campaign was tried by AAP earlier in Uttarakhand, but the people were too smart to fall for it.
Should it not be made mandatory for political parties not to offer bribes to voters from the state exchequer? At least, when liquor bottles and money are distributed just before elections, these come from the respective party’s own funds. How can IOUs based on government finances be allowed – it is just as much a bribe, but at someone else’s expense. Parties should contest on the basis of their developmental plans for the future and their ideologies.
Whether it is the Election Commission that can introduce these regulations, or it requires a law passed by Parliament, it is time that this deception is prevented.
