{"id":227501,"date":"2023-11-01T00:27:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T18:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/?p=227501"},"modified":"2023-11-01T00:27:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T18:57:20","slug":"govt-money-is-netas-money-yaar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/2023\/11\/01\/govt-money-is-netas-money-yaar\/","title":{"rendered":"Govt money is Neta’s money yaar!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tadka of Populist Revadi<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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By Poonam I Kaushish<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It is a perfect electoral cake rolled out by various Parties to the strains of \u2018Vote For Me,\u2019 iced with luscious lip-smacking freebies galore for one and all in the run-up to five State Assembly elections. From aam aadmi-debt-ridden-kisan-top tax payer on the assumption that populist hand-outs yield better electoral rewards than reasoned policies and sustainable programmes. No matter, sound economic sense has been surrendered to political gamesmanship as Government money is neta\u2019s money!.<\/p>\n

Witness how our netagan are raining populist schemes and loan waivers merrily converting political sops into vote percentages wherein social and economic upliftment is weighed on vote-bank political scales.<\/p>\n

In Rajasthan Congress\u2019s Gehlot Government announced further subsidy on cooking gas cylinders offered by the Centre at Rs 500 each, free food packets containing pulses, sugar, salt and oil to over crore people through ration shops alongside mehengai rahat\u2019 relief camps at which people can register for 10 welfare schemes at once, free electricity up to 200 units for every household and up to 2,000 units for farmers.<\/p>\n

Besides, Chiranjeevi Health Scheme providing Rs 25 lakh per family cover and free healthcare services at all Government facilities, free smart phones with free internet to women for three years, one-time payment of Rs 5,000 for gig workers along-with extending social security to them.<\/p>\n

Not to be left behind Prime Minister Modi underscored every poor family would get a pucca house and a tap connection if BJP is elected, laid foundation stones of Rs 10,000 crore projects\u00a0 including AIIMS campus, new airport terminal in Jodhpur, Rs 4,500-crore Mehsana-Bathinda-Gurdaspur gas pipeline and an LPG plan and Rs 3,000 crore road projects. Sic.<\/p>\n

Congress has been ahead of the game in Madhya Pradesh by promising farm loan waiver, free electricity for agricultural uses, subsidies for farm inputs,\u00a0 reinstatement of Old Pension Scheme,\u00a0 free education from Classes 1 to 12, Rs 500\u00a0 allowance to Classes 1 to 8 students, Rs 1,000 monthly to those in Classes 9-10 and Rs 1,500 to those in Classes 11-12 under the \u2018Padho-Padhao\u2019 scheme.<\/p>\n

Incumbent BJP Sarkar is seen playing catch-up to its b\u00eate noir by subsidising LPG after Congress promised it for Rs 500, post Congress announcing free electricity up to 100 units and further 50% discount on next 100 units, the State Government postponed electricity surcharges\u00a0 payment, even Ladli Behna scheme increase payment to Rs 1,500 followed its rival\u2019s announcement, subsidised gas cylinders for Rs 450 to women and 35% reservation for women in some Government jobs.<\/p>\n

Not to forget foundation of Rs 11,895-crore\u00a0Delhi\u00a0Vadodara Expressway, Rs 4,000 crore to bring drinking water to six districts, Rs 4,800-crore road development and Rs 1,750-crore Vijaipur-Auraiya-Phulpur gas pipeline.<\/p>\n

And the ring-a-ring-a-roses of populist tadka continues in Chhattisgarh, Telengana and Mizoram. Despite Supreme Court issuing notice to Centre, MP, Rajasthan Governments and Election Commission (EC) over distribution of cash and other \u201cfreebies\u201d during elections earlier this month. This, after petitions seeking ban on poll freebies were referred to a three-judge Bench last year, for reconsidering a 2013 judgment that said promises in manifestos could not be termed \u201ccorrupt practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remember Modi too called for halt to free \u201crevadi\u201d culture followed by Supreme Court mooting a committee of Government, Niti Aayog, Finance Commission, RBI and Opposition to brainstorm \u201cdispassionately and make recommendations last year. Succinctly, underscoring the reality, \u201cno Party will allow taking out these freebies. We are heading towards disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raising a moot point:\u00a0 Where do netas get monies to fund these doles? Obviously, by taxing the people. Should our hard-earned tax money be used to boost a Parties electoral votebanks?\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t leaders or their Parties pay for it from their pockets or funds? Should loans be waived? Is freebie different from subsidy? Are they good and bad hand-outs? Who decides?<\/p>\n

Asserts a senior Congress leader, \u201cWhy blame us? In February 2018 Prime Minister gave Rs 25,000 to working women, covering 50% of a two-wheeler cost and PM Kisan Yojna of Rs 6,000 a year to every farmer\u201d. Besides, \u201cwhen the rich really rip off the banking system, with huge NPAs and write-offs alongside a rent-seeking bureaucratic culture, can we say the poor are too pampered with these freebies? Call it the \u2018endowment effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

It can be argued Parties are obliged to be seen as populist in the no-holds-barred free-for-all electoral race, as it would be stupid to wish away political lollipops to entice voters. True, assurances of cheap rice, wheat or free electricity can be justified. Aren\u2019t such concessions imperative in a country where 70% people live below poverty line, hungry stomachs feed on enticing neon lights of fast food, rummage in garbage bins for rat-infested left-overs\u2019 and 600 million earn less than Rs 30 a day. Is it not our leaders\u2019 duty to take care of citizens?<\/p>\n

Certainly, but at the same time one should never mistake political rhetoric for reality. Politicians of all hues cry hoarse for \u201ca better deal for the poor.\u201d Those who ask for water have been given watershed management programmes. Those who want naukri have been handed NREGA. Debt-laden farmers have got loan waivers. More trees, not coveted mangoes!<\/p>\n

However, given the level of dishonesty, populism and irresponsibility which increasingly governs our political system, the measures announced are invitation to disaster. Bluntly, political promises in the economic sphere should not cross prudence limits, where it starts hurting the economy. None sees the danger of economic derailment as the biggest losers are the poor in whose name freebies are justified.\u00a0 As it stands the economic situation is worsening with prices rising and high inflation notwithstanding Reserve Bank saying economic parameters are OK.<\/p>\n

By providing free candies to voters, citizens have become dependent on netas resulting in no empowerment. Consequently, people are unable to critically evaluate leaders. Also, given the economic logic there are no free lunches, a populist scheme is invariably paid for either by higher taxes or increased inflation. Precisely, what new State Governments would have to do.<\/p>\n

What next? One, make it obligatory for Parties to inform EC where they will get monies to implement free giveaway once elected. Will they raise taxes or reduce allocation for programmes? Two, Parties should offer permanent solutions instead of seemingly advantageous, but temporary stop-gap measures. Three, EC should penalize Parties who use quick exploitative mechanism to win votes.<\/p>\n

Clearly, leaders must draw a distinction between welfarism and populism. Welfarism takes needs of different sections of society as part of a large development framework. Populism is purely guided by vote-banks, granting concessions which have no economic rationale or are part of larger Governmental economic planning. It provides immediate succour at the future\u2019s expense. It is no remedy for education and health neglect, faulty industrialization and under-investment in rural areas.<\/p>\n

The aam aadmi is no fool. Each populist slogan only accentuates his growing awareness. The real significance of any electoral battle is that unless the problem of poverty is substantially resolved, fake promise will continue to entice voters whereby it could endanger our democracy. Time to draw a \u2018lakshman rekha\u2019 on vote-bank politics as democracy cannot allow exercise of public funds as private spending. What says you? \u2014 INFA<\/p>\n

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Tadka of Populist Revadi By Poonam I Kaushish It is a perfect electoral cake rolled out by various Parties to the strains of \u2018Vote For Me,\u2019 iced with luscious lip-smacking freebies galore for one and all in the run-up to five State Assembly elections. From aam aadmi-debt-ridden-kisan-top tax payer on the assumption that populist hand-outs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-227501","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227501\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}