Competitive populism is the bane of Indian politics and consequentially of the economy as well. Every political party is guilty of indulging in populism for the short-term gain of winning elections while losing the economy. The populist promises ahead of elections started with the regional parties.
While in the beginning, the national parties like the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party resisted the temptation, eventually they also fell for it.
The DMK in Tamil Nadu publicly announced providing colour televisions to people ahead of elections in 2006. Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab announced free power to the agriculture sector in 1998 and later free ration to people living below the poverty line. The Supreme Court of India’s observation that this leads to the creation of a “class of parasites” probably best defines the phenomenon.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance legalized the culture of freebies by giving it a constitutional status. The UPA government introduced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2006, which guaranteed 100 days of employment to rural poor.
On the face of it, the act was aimed at generating employment for various productive purposes. But practically it was like any other freebie.
Justice BR Gavai rightly observed in the Supreme Court that such things lead to a shortage of workforce as people become used to getting everything free. Most of the states are providing free food. According to the government of India, about 80 crore Indians are being provided free food across the country. Added to that are other freebies like monthly cash assistance.
This actually leads to the creation of parasites. When one gets free food plus cash without doing any work why should s/he work?
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When MGNREGA was implemented, the industry across the country faced a severe shortage of labour. A large number of labourers went back to their respective villages where they were entitled to MGNREGA benefits. This was a paradox that while on the one hand, there was widespread unemployment, on the other hand, there was a shortage of workforce as those capable of working were getting everything free and did not feel it necessary to work.
As the freebies come with a definite expiry date, much shorter than expected, Congress has continuously seen a downslide since 2014 even though it had brought laws, not only like the MGNREGA but also the Food Security Act that facilitated free food under the ‘Right to Food’ law.
Then came the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, which announced free power and free water. In Punjab, it went ahead further, promising Rs 1000 each to every woman every month. It is a different story that even after three years of winning the elections, it has not fulfilled that promise so far.
However, it has implemented the scheme of 300 units of free power every month to all consumers in Punjab. Despite that the AAP could not perform well electorally in the parliamentary elections, losing ten of the thirteen seats.
The common theme in the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections was the “freebies”. While the AAP is known for promising and doling out freebies, the BJP and the Congress did not lag either. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah would repeatedly assure the people of Delhi that the freebies would continue even after the BJP formed the government.
The Congress, although it did not have any stakes, also promised a lot of freebies, including Rs 2500 monthly cash assistance to women and Rs 8500 per month stipend to educated youth. Congress drew a blank for the third consecutive time in Delhi.
The Supreme Court has made the right observation at the right time. Not only does the culture of freebies create parasites, but it also amounts to political corruption. The political parties by offering freebies to voters ahead of elections are trying to offer bribes to them (the voters).
It is high time that the culture of freebies is started. The Supreme Court has made the right observation. Political parties, across the spectrum, should broadly agree against offering any such freebies. There must be a law, forbidding the announcement of freebies and making it like a “corrupt practice”.
In fact, it actually is a corrupt practice. Promising cash assistance to voters after the elections is no different to distributing money ahead of elections among voters. A practice, which amounts to corruption before elections, cannot become legal, after elections. Future promises for cash assistance should be treated as an act of corruption also.
It is quite unlikely that all the political parties will agree to any such initiative if at all it is taken. Like a movement that was built up against political corruption in the year 2012, although that ended up in a fiasco, there needs to be another movement to get Indian polity rid of the culture of freebies. Not only will it bleed the economy, it will create a class of parasites, which will be difficult to get rid of in due course of time.
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